Adopted

"You're the best, Rachel."

The boy looked at me with innocent curiosity. I smiled back, but my heart felt frozen.

Samuel held a grand welcoming party that night. He said it was to celebrate my coming home safely.

"Samuel's a good husband. You're so lucky, Rachel."

"Yeah. He stayed with you even through all that. Not all men could do that."

The guests lavished praise on me, but I was numb. Still, I smiled at them while my heart was getting sliced to pieces.

Samuel's parents were there too, gazing at Riley with affection and calling him their precious grandson.

Of course, they knew the truth.

Charlotte, Samuel's mother, sneered at me. "Some women are just barren. Years go by, and still no child. Completely useless."

Samuel's expression darkened. "Stop it, Mom. It's not her fault. It's mine."

I clenched the hem of my dress, and humiliation filled my heart. I wanted to snap and tell them the truth, but I swallowed my words.

One little rant couldn't possibly tell them the enormity of my pain and suffering.

Every smile in that room felt fake, thin masks hiding rot beneath.

The air grew suffocating. I needed to breathe.

Just as I reached the stairs, Meredith followed me.

She wore an elegant gown, lips curled in a venomous smile, eyes glittering with malice.

"Just because everyone's stroking your ego doesn't mean you've won. Samuel wouldn't have married you if George hadn't threatened him with the inheritance. You're a replacement, and a defective one at that. You have no right to be his partner!"

I met her gaze coldly and refused to answer.

Meredith's voice sharpened. "Let's see who he loves more."

She grabbed my wrist and yanked me ahead. Caught off guard, I fell forward, while she fell backward.

Meredith let out a scream and fell down the stairs.

I grabbed the banister as tightly as I could and barely caught my bearings. Even so, my knees hit the steps.

"Meredith!" Samuel's voice thundered behind me. His footsteps rushed past. He shoved me aside and ran straight to her. Lifting her into his arms, he asked frantically, "Are you hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital!"

I leaned against the banister, pain twisting through my abdomen. The wounds from surgery still hadn't healed.

Samuel didn't even look at me as he went off in a hurry.

I forced myself upright and staggered back upstairs. Quietly, I packed a small bag. I was leaving this house built on lies.

Right after I tossed my luggage into the trunk, something hard rammed into my lower back.

…

Two hours later, Samuel received a call from the police.

"Are you the owner of the vehicle with the license plate STO 123? A gas tanker collided with it on Goodrich Avenue and exploded. We found a body inside. We need you to identify it."

All the color drained from Samuel's face. His phone slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.