"Emma, your mother's medical bills went through the company account. Three hundred thousand. Don't forget to pay it back."
Three hundred thousand... Three hundred thousand...
Curtis had used that money to force me to my knees, to make me apologize to Margot.
And now that same money had killed my mother.
To him, it was nothing. The cost of a dinner. A handbag.
To me, it was the last straw.
I nearly lost my mind. I wanted to run out that door and drag Curtis down with me.
But Agnes stopped me.
Her eyes were red as she begged me to let it go. Told me the dead couldn't come back. Told me I had to keep living.
I sat motionless through the night, crying until there was nothing left.
Curtis didn't come home until dawn, still drunk.
He flinched when he saw me—a wreck on the floor—and quickly pulled me to my feet.
The moment his arm moved, Margot's perfume hit me like a slap.
He didn't even notice. Just pulled me close, murmuring comfort.
"What's wrong, Emma? Why are you crying like this?"
"Is it the thing with Margot? Or what people are saying online?"
"It's okay. We can drop the act if you want."
"You can stay home from now on. Just be Mrs. Delgado."