Calvin gave me a cold glance as I stood up. "What? Done pretending and finally decided to get up? Janelle, if you didn't want to deliver the food, you could've just said so. You don't have to put on this whole act."

Nathan, standing nearby, chimed in without missing a beat. "Mom, you always told me to be honest and never lie, so why are you lying?"

Coming from a child his age, those words should have sounded innocent. But instead, they sent a chill straight through me.

"Alright then. Since you're obviously fine, we're heading to the hospital."

Before I knew it, I was alone in that massive house.

My head was throbbing after I blacked out earlier. The dull ache came back even worse this time. As I was out of options, I chugged a whole bottle of painkillers just to make the pain a little more tolerable.

A foggy numbness spread through me, and I just dropped onto the couch.

…

"Daddy, do you think Aunt Louella likes roses? Should we cover the whole house in flowers?"

Nathan's voice—which was bright and excited—cut through the haze in my mind, dragging me awake.

The sunlight outside was just as bright as I remembered. I'd somehow spent a full day and night on the couch. It seemed like Calvin and Nathan never even came home last night.

I managed to get to my feet and was heading to the kitchen to make myself something to eat when Nathan stopped me. "Mom, have you forgotten? Aunt Louella's getting discharged today, so we're all celebrating together!"

Celebrating? I had no idea. Nobody had bothered to tell me.

Calvin's face went tight at Nathan's words. He gave him a sharp glance before finally turning to me.

"The celebration is at the Aurielle Hotel. I'm picking Lou up soon. You can get there on your own."

After telling me, Calvin and Nathan went back to decorating the house.

I never knew Calvin, who never seemed to care about romance, could make a place feel so warm and welcoming. Guess I just wasn't the one who could bring that out in him.

As for their little family celebration, I wasn't about to tag along, so I shut it down. "I'm not feeling well."

Calvin, who obviously did not want me to kill the vibe, just gave a quick nod.

After breakfast, I dragged myself back to bed. I was getting worse, and the only thing that helped even a little was staying flat on my back.

I was barely awake when my phone rang. Still half out of it, I answered without thinking. Calvin was talking, but I couldn't make out a word. My hand moved before my brain did, and I hung up on him.

I lost track of time. Out of nowhere, a huge bang tore through the silence of the room. The noise yanked me awake. With bloodshot eyes, I looked towards the bedroom door.

Calvin's face flushed with anger. When he saw me propped up in bed, he marched straight over and ripped the blankets off me.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Janelle? The whole family's sitting around waiting for you, and you're just lounging in bed like it's nothing? If you've got a problem, then spit it out!

"Did you seriously have to pull this crap? Did you know Lou got readmitted to the hospital because we wasted time waiting on you?"

His words hit me like a punch.

What crap was I pulling? I'd already told them I wasn't going to that celebration. What kind of game was he trying to play?

Before I could figure out what was going on, Calvin grabbed my wrist and jerked me hard.

The pain exploded through me—like I'd been shoved into a furnace. My back was pure fire. I could feel my shirt clinging to my back, damp and warm. And I could feel blood seeping through.