Seth's hand snapped up before he could stop himself, and it came down hard. A bright red mark spread across Rita's cheek.

Then, like she was punishing herself, she grabbed his hand and slapped her own face again and again.

Seth tried to pull away, a vein jumping at his temple as he rasped, "Rita, you're out of your mind!"

But she just stared at him, completely still, her eyes flat and hollow. "Victor saved Tara's life. The Searles pulled the Joneses back from the edge. Seth, do you really need me dead to feel satisfied?"

Rita's eyes were shadowed by three years of hurt she'd carried. But before Seth could answer, the world tilted in front of her. Her knees gave out, and she hit the ground hard.

Right before everything went dark, she thought she saw Seth's face twist in panic.

What was he so scared of?

She turned the question over and over until the answer felt brutally clear.

If she died too soon, where else was he supposed to find a slave he could torment at will?

…

Nightmares closed in on Rita, wrapping tight and leaving her no way out. It felt like being back with Seth, like something sharp was wedged in her throat, turning every breath into slow torture.

Images flashed through her mind—Tara hooked up to tubes and monitors, her family's black-and-white memorial photos, and Seth's ice-cold face.

The same man who'd once promised her a future now pulled out a dagger and drove it straight into her chest.

Rita jolted awake and shot upright in bed, her eyes wide with terror and her face drained of color.

Seth had been sitting beside her. The second he heard her move, he tossed the cotton swab he'd been using to wet her lips straight into the trash.

When he realized she was awake, the worry in his eyes vanished, replaced by that familiar stay-away-from-me look.

"Looks like you're still alive."

Rita shut her eyes at the sarcasm in his voice. After a long hesitation, she said, "Seth, let's get a divorce."

Her voice was raw and broken, but every word landed heavy. "The Joneses don't need someone as cruel as me in their family."

Seth's bloodshot eyes went even redder, almost feral. He let out a humorless laugh, anger tightening his face. "You're doing just fine. Rita, divorce or not, that's my call."

He yanked down Rita's collar and ran his fingers over the tattoo on her chest, his eyes burning with a hungry kind of desire. "Victor ruined Tara's life. So, if I take it out on you, that's just karma evening things out."

Seeing how devastated she looked, he forced out one last line through clenched teeth. "If you bring up divorce again, I'll break your legs."

Rita didn't answer. Her silence was its own rebellion, and the faint shimmer of tears in her eyes was the only thing guarding what was left of her pride.

Irritation flickered across his face. He pulled her into his arms, his hands roaming as he started to reach under her dress.

Rita didn't miss the faint hickey on his throat. Her expression stayed calm. She even unbuttoned her clothes herself.

"We're enemies, remember? Doesn't that kill the mood?"

Seth's breath hitched for a split second. Whether it was anger or embarrassment, he hid it by snapping, "I feel gross every time I have to look at you or touch you!"

In the end, he didn't go any further.

Before he left, he called in his private doctor. Under Seth's orders, the doctor ignored Rita's protests and forced two injections into her arm.

"One's nutrients to keep your sorry life going. The other's birth control, so stop dreaming about having a baby."

Once he'd said his piece, Seth turned and walked out.

Rita stared at his back, the bluish vein at the base of her thumb twitching under her skin. Something twisted hard in her chest, a tangle of feelings she couldn't even name.

Did Seth love her? Or did he hate her?

She looked around the room. It was their master bedroom, the one they'd decorated together. Every corner still held traces of the nights they'd tangled up in each other like their lives depended on it.

And now, all that tangled love and hate between them had torn them apart.

Five days before the three years were up, Rita's phone rang.

Winnie's bright, tinkling laugh came through first, followed by Seth's warm, overly patient voice.

"Be good. Quit messing around. I need to talk to her," Seth said, sounding a little helpless.

That soft, indulgent way he talked to Winnie made Rita's chest tighten. Her fingers tightened around the phone before she even realized it.

Then, as soon as he spoke to her, his voice went cold. "Winnie asked that psychic about you. If you plant 999 roses yourself, you can finally get rid of all that bad luck hanging over you."

Rita's heart lurched. The moment she heard Winnie's name, her gut reaction was to say no. She didn't even get the word out before Seth cut her off again.

His voice stayed low, but there was a weight in it that didn't need yelling to sound like a threat. "I'm telling you. I'm not asking for your opinion."

The line went dead, and something in her chest gave way.

A second later, her screen lit up with a new text. It was an address. Only then did it occur to her that Seth had pulled her off his blocked list just to fulfill Winnie's wish.

Their last message thread had been sitting there untouched for three years. That day was supposed to be their sweet, perfect wedding. Instead, Seth lost Tara and took Rita down with him.

When the memory slipped away, Rita realized she was standing in front of Everrose Estate, caught in a long, dazed pause.

She took in the heirloom roses climbing the wall, the antique copper mirror carved with tiny floral patterns, the rolling waves of hydrangeas.

The place looked like it had been pulled straight from an old-world painting, soaked in the soft, romantic magic she'd always loved.

And all of it had been the proposal gift Seth planned for her three years ago.

Rita remembered that sunny afternoon, how he'd tucked half his face into her hair. His arm had been warm and steady around her waist, his smile soft and effortless.

"My Rita deserves to be the happiest princess in the world."

But now, the estate felt like a gravestone, marking the death of what they'd been and feeding the first shoots of hatred.

Gary kept urging her forward, but it barely registered with her. Rita followed in a fog, and she was a step from the rear garden when she froze. The sight ahead hit her like an eyesore.

Winnie had her arm draped around Seth's neck, grinning as she pointed at the grapes on the tray, nudging him to feed her.

And the man who was usually all ice actually smiled back, warm and relaxed. He peeled a grape with slow, careful hands before lifting it to her mouth.

Rita was still staring when Gary shoved her. She stumbled and caught herself just in time. When she looked up again, she ran right into Seth's sharp, cutting stare.

The moment he saw her, his face tightened. Like even acknowledging her was a bother, he flicked his chin at Gary, telling him to take her to the wild, overgrown garden in the back.

Then Seth turned to Winnie again, though the way he peeled the next grape wasn't nearly as smooth.

The overgrown garden was bigger than Rita expected, and the sun beat down even harder than she'd imagined.

While Seth held a parasol over Winnie, sweat blurred Rita's vision.

She planted the roses with her bare hands. The thorns stabbed straight through her fingertips, unforgiving. Blood dripped into the soil, each drop feeling like it mocked how pathetic she looked.

But Rita didn't stop. She kept telling herself that pushing harder might drown out the ache in her chest.

That was when a raspberry margarita appeared beside her. She stepped back fast when she met Winnie's eyes.

Winnie offered the drink, her voice soft and pleading. "Rita, take a break. This is for your own good."

They pushed at each other, and Rita yanked herself loose. A sharp crack snapped through the air as the glass shattered.

Winnie slipped and tumbled down the long steps, ending up at the bottom in a pool of blood and broken glass.

Rita's eyes flew wide. She rushed to help Winnie, but the second she reached out, something heavy slammed into her and sent her crashing backward.

The rose bushes ripped across her back like blades. Blood soaked through her clothes, spreading fast.

Pain broke over her, leaving a cold sweat down her spine. When she forced her eyes open, she met Seth's, red-rimmed and blazing.

He snapped his teeth together. "Rita, Victor ruined Tara's life. And now you're trying to kill Winnie? If anything happens to her, I'll drag the whole Searle family down with you!"

Exhaust from the Maybach clawed at her lungs, leaving her skull pounding. She curled on the ground, her tears disappearing into the blood on her shirt.

Her thoughts kept slipping away until she couldn't hold on. The darkness finally swallowed her.

…

She had no clue how long she'd been out when her eyes blinked open again.

An agreement was sitting right in front of her.

The bold heading at the top, "Skin Graft Consent Form", yanked Rita out of her haze. Her hand, covered in cuts and bruises, clenched around the paper until it suddenly felt way heavier than it should.

She looked up at the doctor and rasped, "I don't get it. Where's Seth?"

The doctor gave her a practiced little smile. "Mrs. Jones, you nearly left Ms. Anderson with permanent scarring. And per Mr. Jones's orders, you're signing this whether you want to or not."

Tears sprang to her eyes. She shook her head, her voice shaking. "I didn't push Winnie."

The doctor was already impatient. "I'm just doing my job. Save the explanations for Mr. Jones."

Rita lowered her head, her loose hair falling forward to hide the tears welling in her eyes, even though it couldn't hide how red they were.

"Fine. Where's Seth?"

Her voice barely made it past a whisper, like she didn't even believe Seth would hear her out.

Still, she held on to that tiny bit of hope. Even one chance felt like enough if she could finally tell him how wronged she felt.

The doctor didn't answer. A quick flash of sympathy crossed his eyes.

Rita knew that look too well.

"He's with Winnie, isn't he?"

It sounded like a question, but she already knew the answer.

The doctor's eyes darted away.

Rita pushed herself upright, but the movement pulled at her wounds, and she slipped off the bed. The needle in the back of her hand ripped free, and blood streamed out.

But she didn't seem to feel it.

She bolted down the hallway barefoot.

…

"Seth, my face is ruined. I don't even want to live anymore..."

Rita stopped cold in the doorway, staring at Winnie crying against Seth's shoulder. He held her close, wiping her tears, his face soft with a kind of hurting tenderness.

"Don't cry. I'll make Rita pay for this."

The words hit Rita hard. The color drained from her face, and she wobbled where she stood. She didn't know when Seth had started hating her this much.

He'd already shattered her heart. Was he really trying to finish her off?

As if her stare burned through him, Seth's head jerked around. The moment he saw her, his expression hardened. "You've got some nerve showing up here. Did you sign the consent form?"

His anger made Rita bite her lip. She swallowed back her tears and managed, "It wasn't me. I didn't push her."

A hard look snapped across Seth's face. He threw the words at her, cold and sharp. "You do nothing but lie. You Searles are all the same, rotten from birth."

Rita's eyes burned, tears welling up fast. She rushed at Winnie, her voice breaking. "Say something! You threw yourself down on purpose!"

Winnie jumped like Rita had startled her, then curled tighter into Seth, sobbing. "Yeah, I did it on purpose. It's all my fault."

Rita was shaking so hard she couldn't say anything. She just stood there, feeling totally helpless.

Winnie had put on a pathetic little act that anyone could see through, but she still ended up with all of Seth's sympathy. With how blindly he backed her, Rita never really had a chance.

A dry laugh slipped out of her. She looked at Seth. "Are you going to hate me for the rest of your life?"

Maybe it was the hurt in her eyes, but Seth actually froze for a second. Then Winnie whimpered, and whatever hesitation he had disappeared.

He pressed a soft kiss to Winnie's forehead, calming her until she fell asleep. As soon as she did, he yanked Rita out of the room.

His voice was nothing but disgust. "I don't have time for your act. Don't push me into wiping out the rest of the Searles."

The words were so harsh that they made Rita's chest sting.

They'd been married all this time, and only now did she see how much of a stranger he'd turned into. He couldn't even show her the slightest respect.

Rita didn't argue. She just signed the consent form. The way she gave in so completely was almost eerie, and it threw Seth for a moment.

As he turned to go, his hand tightened on the door handle. His voice dropped low. "No one's taking your place as Mrs. Jones. Even if she's here, I can afford to keep you both."

Rita said nothing.

Seth's eyes went cold, and he snorted. "Ungrateful."

He didn't look back, so he never saw Rita standing in the corner, crying quietly.

There were only two days to go in the three years she was supposed to spend with Seth, but she no longer had the courage to stay.