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.

The day before the surgery, Rita sat on the bench outside the exam room, staring at the test results in her hands.

She put a hand on her stomach and whispered, "Two months pregnant… How's that even possible?"

What happened between them two months ago had been quick and rough. It was Tara's birthday, and Seth had been completely drunk.

His face was flushed as he slumped into her arms. His movements were rough, almost harsh, and his eyes, blurred by alcohol, showed nothing but sorrow.

"My mom's dying wish was that I take care of Tara. She died in the delivery room, and now Tara's stuck in a hospital bed, unable to do anything on her own. Victor was my best friend.

"How could he fail her like that? Rita, what am I supposed to do? Rita… How am I supposed to keep loving you?"

Rita didn't sleep at all that night. She went over everything again and again, but she still couldn't understand how she and Seth had ended up on opposite sides like enemies.

It wasn't just Winnie between them. Old family grudges and deaths were also hanging over both of them.

And life wasn't done messing with Rita yet. She'd taken plenty of birth control pills, but she still ended up pregnant with a baby that was never supposed to exist.

She lowered her gaze. This might be the last thread connecting her and Seth. Maybe it was her last chance to hold onto what they used to have.

So, before the surgery, she grabbed Seth's sleeve at the door. "Seth, I need to talk to you."

He froze for a moment. Something flickered across his face, and he pulled his arm out of her hold. His voice turned cold. "Rita, it's too late for you to back out now."

A bitter ache tightened in her chest. She had to take a few deep breaths before she got the words out. "Seth, what if I were pregnant—"

"That's ridiculous!" he snapped.

The cold look in his eyes made Rita's chest tighten.

He gave a short, humorless laugh. "You took all those pills and still got pregnant? Fine. Then you and that kid can pay Winnie back together."

Rita wobbled a little but forced a crooked smile as she handed him a document. "It's the family consent form for the surgery. Sign it."

As soon as he heard it was for Winnie's surgery, he didn't hesitate. He signed his name and turned to leave.

"Seth, we're even after this," Rita said.

He paused for a beat, his gaze going even colder. "Keep dreaming."

…

Winnie had the doctors leave the operating room, then walked up to Rita like she wasn't in any rush. Her eyes were challenging, her smile smug.

"I didn't think that little setup would work this well. Rita, running into me was really your bad luck."

She pulled the bandage off her face. Her skin was flawless, with no visible scars.

"Surprised? I can even fake my scars. You're not still hoping Seth loves you, are you? Rita, if I were the sister of a murderer, I wouldn't have the nerve to keep living."

A sharp pain cut through Rita's chest. She stumbled back and steadied herself against the wall.

A metallic taste spread across her tongue, pulling her back into focus. "Is that so? Because the marriage certificate has both of our names. You never had any real claim on him."

Winnie's expression slipped for a second, but she fixed it almost immediately, chin lifting again. "We'll see about that!"

…

Rita lay there like a corpse, letting the doctor move her however he needed. As the cold anesthesia slid into her spine, a laugh tore out of her, bitter and a little unhinged.

She was drowning in grief and anger and didn't even know who she was supposed to take it out on.

A cramp tore through her lower belly. She doubled over and tumbled off the operating table, forcing the doctor to stop the procedure.

When Rita lifted her head, she met Seth's dark, sharp stare.

Every word that came out of him hurt more than the last. You'd rather play dead than take responsibility? Rita, you really never stop scheming, do you?"

Rita felt another warm rush spreading beneath her. Pushing through the pain, she started, "That's not—"

"You're still talking back? Get up. You're coming with me to apologize to Winnie!"

Seth yanked her so hard her vision dimmed and her head filled with fog. No matter how loudly he yelled, his words barely reached her.

Rita finally collapsed onto the floor, limp.

A nurse next to her whispered, "Mr. Jones, could she be miscarrying?"

Seth's eyes widened as he stared at the blood spreading under Rita.