After seven years together, he finally proposed. I was ecstatic, already planning the white dress I'd wear to City Hall, when I suddenly heard my six-year-old son's thoughts: What is this stupid woman so happy about? Dad's only doing this to make his real love jealous. And she actually fell for it. Outside, a helicopter was creating a storm of petals for another woman. All I could see was his face—cold and merciless—the day he refused to send that same helicopter to save my dying mother. My marriage was a lie. My own son saw me as the enemy. This time, I decided to disappear from his life. Completely. 1 In the seventh year of living with Landon Hayes, he finally agreed to marry me. My heart soared. I was already planning to buy a simple white dress for the day we’d go to City Hall. Then, I heard my son’s voice in my head. A voice no one else could hear. What is this stupid woman so happy about? Dad only said that to piss off Angel Chloe. She actually believes him! To make it up to Angel Chloe, Dad’s having a helicopter create a petal storm for her. Tonight, they’re having a romantic candlelit dinner. Hehe. I’m going to have a new mom and a little brother soon. The moment the thought ended, a soft rain of petals began to drift down from the sky. I looked up, my eyes tracing the path of the helicopter circling tirelessly overhead. A sharp, tearing pain ripped through my chest. I remembered the day my mother collapsed. I had been on my knees, my forehead bloody against the floor, begging Landon to send that same helicopter to fly my mom to New York for emergency surgery. He had refused without a second thought. Wiping a tear from the corner of my eye, I sent a text to his mother, Eleanor. You once told me that when Leo turned six, you wouldn't stop me if I wanted to leave. Do you still mean that? “Did you go crying to my mother?” It was ten o’clock at night. Landon, who had said he wouldn’t be home, stood in the doorway, his face a mask of displeasure. His eyes landed on the bouquet of wildflowers on the table, and his irritation hardened into anger. “I told you I never want to see these things in this house again!” They were Queen Anne’s Lace, the kind that grew wild all over my hometown. A birthday gift from my old friend, Mike. Landon snatched the bouquet and slammed it into the trash can before turning on me, his body closing the space between us. His fingers wrapped around my throat. Just as the world began to blur at the edges from lack of air, his mouth crashed down on mine. The cloying scent of an unfamiliar woman’s perfume enveloped me, and I instinctively recoiled. He countered by clamping a hand on the back of my head, his kiss growing more savage. A hot hand forced my legs apart. “Don’t,” I gasped. “Maria is here.” My panicked resistance only fueled his aggression. The sound of fabric tearing echoed in the silent room as he ripped my skirt to the top of my thigh. When the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, he shoved me, sending me sprawling onto the sofa. “What’s with the act?” he sneered. “Where’s the little slut who drugged my drink and crawled into my bed all those years ago?” His words were knives, carving out my heart. I clutched the torn pieces of my skirt, scrambling up and fleeing to my room. I heard his cold voice questioning the housekeeper in the hall. “Who bought the cake?” “It’s Ms. Aria’s birthday today,” Maria answered softly. “She made it herself.” A bitter, self-mocking smile touched my lips. Last year, to convince me to donate a lung to his mother—a risky procedure for me, given my bleeding disorder—Landon had casually promised he would celebrate my birthday with me every year from then on. How could I have been foolish enough to believe him? After a long silence, Landon’s tone softened slightly. “From now on, call her Mrs. Hayes.” I steadied my breathing, picked up a book, and walked to our son Leo’s room. And then, that little voice again. Ugh, so annoying. She always makes me read these stupid, boring stories before bed. Not like Angel Chloe. She lets me play games on her iPad. I froze. Leo has dyslexia. His doctor recommended we read together for thirty minutes every night. I hadn’t missed a single day since he was two. I looked at the innocent-looking face on the pillow and lowered my gaze. “Not tonight, Leo. Let’s just go to sleep.” “Awesome!” The joy in his voice was palpable. He quickly switched off his lamp and dove under the covers as if afraid I’d change my mind. When I returned to the living room, Landon was gone. Maria told me he’d gone out to buy me a birthday present. “He asked me for your ring size, ma’am,” she said, giving me a conspiratorial smile. I thought of Landon’s promise to get married in four days, and my mind became a tangled mess. My phone buzzed. It was a text from Landon. Don’t sleep. Wait for me. 2 I woke up on the sofa again. It was after three in the morning. Landon still wasn’t back. I opened my phone and saw a new post from Chloe—the woman Leo called “Angel Chloe.” Her caption read: Nights aren’t for sleeping. They’re for making memories. The photo was of the Hayes’ lavender estate in the Hamptons, a place I had always dreamed of visiting, a place Landon had never once taken me. A sour knot formed in my stomach. I stood up and threw the half-melted birthday cake into the trash. The next morning, I drove Leo to the gates of his private school. That familiar inner voice piped up. All the other moms are so pretty and stylish. You’re the only one who’s embarrassing and frumpy. I always have to tell my friends you’re our nanny. No wonder Dad never takes you anywhere. My heart seized. I used to wear makeup. I used to care about how I looked. But Leo has severe rhinitis, and the scent of any cosmetic triggers an allergy attack. I hadn’t touched a single product since he was born. I stopped the car short of the drop-off line. My voice was brittle. “You can walk from here.” His eyes widened in surprise. “Bye, Mom!” he chirped, then vanished from sight before I could blink. At the Hayes’ family mansion, Eleanor’s brow was furrowed with the same worry it had held years ago. I was twenty-two, a graduate student, and she had instructed my mother to have me bring a gift of farm-fresh eggs to thank them for their generous scholarship. Back then, she and her husband were furious with Landon for constantly getting into trouble to defend Chloe. But that day, the moment Eleanor saw me, the storm clouds on her face had cleared. Later, after I drank a glass of milk she handed me, I remember Landon’s eyes glazing over before he pushed me down onto a bed. “I know my son’s nature,” Eleanor’s voice pulled me back to the present. “Just give him a little more time.” A grim smile played on my lips. Seven years we had lived together, and not once had Landon ever publicly acknowledged me as his partner. When I was pregnant, he let Chloe send me a barrage of bloody, threatening videos, which caused so much stress that I hemorrhaged during labor and nearly died. Back then, I couldn’t leave. I needed the Hayes’ money for my mother’s medical bills. After my mom passed away last year, Landon started being kinder. He’d occasionally answer my texts. He’d bring home gifts for me and Leo. I started to think that maybe this was enough—a home, a child. That maybe I could live like this forever. But now, I had changed my mind. Seeing my resolve, Eleanor pressed on. “And what about Leo? Can you really bear to leave him?” My expression darkened at the thought of the one thing that had kept me chained to this family for so long. He would probably rather have Chloe as his mother. “Fine,” she finally sighed. “The Hayes family owes you. I’ll make the arrangements for your departure.” The woman who had ruined half my life to pry her son away from Chloe was finally letting me go. Before I left, she handed me a plane ticket to France. It was for three days from now—the very day Landon had said we would get married. 3 “Get to the hospital. Leo’s in the ER.” The moment Landon’s call came through, I told the driver to turn the car around. I had barely stepped into the hospital corridor when he slammed me violently against the wall. “Just because I forgot your birthday, you feed our son a mango cake?” My eyes shot wide with shock. Leo is deathly allergic to mangoes. As his mother, it was a mistake I could never, ever make. My gaze flickered past Landon’s shoulder and landed on Chloe, who was watching with a triumphant smirk. It all became sickeningly clear. “Daddy…” Leo, now awake, buried his face in Landon’s chest. “Who gave you the mango cake?” Landon asked gently. Leo’s eyes darted around nervously before finally settling on Chloe. “It was Mommy,” he whispered. I stared in disbelief, unable to process what he was saying. And then, his other voice, the one only I could hear. This mom is the worst. I can’t eat this, I can’t do that. Angel Chloe promised that if she becomes my mom, I can have soda every day and I won’t have to practice piano anymore. Leo’s eyes welled up with real tears. “Mommy said… she said you only come home when I’m sick, Daddy.” “He’s lying!” I surged forward. “Chloe taught you to say that!” Landon shoved me back. My head cracked against the wall. “Get out,” he snarled, his eyes filled with a disgust so sharp it flayed me alive. “How can you be so venomous? To use your own son like this?” They didn’t need me at the hospital, so I went home to pack. In the middle of it, Landon called and demanded I bring a change of clothes for Leo to the hospital. When I walked into the room, Chloe blocked my way. She snatched the bag from my hands and dumped everything—the clothes, the toys, even the contents of my own purse—onto the floor, grinding them under her heel. “So, Landon agreed to marry you?” She tilted her chin up, a sneer on her face. “He only said that to make me angry. Did you really think he would marry a backwoods nobody like you?” My fingernails dug into my palms. I met her gaze. “If it was a lie, why do you care so much?” Her face flushed with rage, and she slapped me, hard. My cheek stung, burning hot. I raised my hand to strike back, but she didn’t flinch. “Landon,” she cried out. I turned to see him standing in the doorway. Chloe threw herself into his arms, her tears flowing like a spring shower. “I was just trying to tell her to be a little kinder to Leo…” Landon’s eyes were chips of ice. “Apologize.” I bit my lip. “She hit me first.” His gaze darkened. He turned to our son. “Leo. Tell Daddy, is what your mother saying true?” Leo nodded. Landon rubbed his temples, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes. “Chloe, why don’t you go home and get some rest.” She clutched his arm, unwilling to concede. “Landon…” Leo glanced at me. “Daddy,” he said, his voice small. “Actually… Angel Chloe didn’t hit her. Mommy told me to say that.” 4 Landon’s expression froze. He stared at Leo, trying to decipher the truth in his son’s face. Leo shrank back under his father’s intense gaze but held his ground. “You taught me not to lie, Daddy.” A brutal hand squeezed my heart, the pain acidic and unbearable. I couldn’t believe the child I had raised for six years would stab me in the back for her, again. “You teach our son to lie? You’re irredeemable.” Landon’s leg shot out, kicking me squarely in the back of my knee. I collapsed, a shattering pain radiating from my kneecap. “I didn’t.” Tears burned in my eyes. “Landon, don’t you ever believe me?” His face was cold, a mocking sneer twisting his lips. “Believe you? You’re the one who drugged me to get into my bed. Is there anything you’re not capable of?” Something inside me crumbled into dust. “Apologize,” Landon commanded again. Seeing my numb expression, he yanked the silver locket from around his neck and held it out the open window. “No.” It was the only thing I had left of my mother. I’d given it to him years ago for protection when his company was going through a crisis. I took a deep, shuddering breath. “I’m sorry.” The two words cost me every last ounce of strength I had. “I don’t think she heard you,” Chloe whined, pressing her advantage. “That’s enough,” Landon said, his voice softening as he turned to her. “You said you were craving that steakhouse on the waterfront, right? If we don’t leave now, they’ll close.” Though reluctant, Chloe looped her arm through his, and they left. I walked home in the pouring rain and by nightfall, I was burning with fever. I only woke when Landon shook me. “Maria has the day off. You’re cooking.” Chloe was with him. “Chloe likes her food lightly seasoned,” Landon instructed, his voice casual. “And no chicken or fish. She doesn’t like them.” “I’m sick,” I rasped. “Make it yourself.” “You look fine to me,” he said, his voice laced with annoyance, and dragged me into the kitchen. The cooking fumes made me feel like I was going to cough up my own lungs, drowned out by the sounds of laughter from the dining room. “Mommy, I want some juice,” Leo called out. “There isn’t any.” “Why?” “Just because.” Seeing my stern face, Leo’s lip quivered, but he said nothing more. Suddenly, Chloe spat out a mouthful of steak. “Are you trying to poison me with salt?” In an instant, Landon swept the entire contents of the table onto the floor. “I ask you to do one simple thing—make one meal—and this is the attitude you give me?” he roared. “Look at yourself. Do you see a single thing about you that resembles a Mrs. Hayes?” I froze. I remembered Chloe slipping into the kitchen earlier. I knew this was her doing, but I was too tired to even bother defending myself. My silence only enraged him further. “We’ll talk about getting married when you’ve learned to reflect on your behavior.” A faint smile touched my lips. A wave of profound relief washed over me. Thank God we weren't married. He locked me in the wine cellar. The cold, damp air seeped into my bones. Not long after, the door opened, and a bucket of ice water was thrown over my head. Chloe’s shrill laughter echoed in the small space. “Just helping you cool off, Aria.” My teeth chattered uncontrollably, but my body felt hotter and hotter. When I woke up, I was in a hospital bed. The first person I saw was Chloe. “I was here for a check-up and ran into Maria. She told me you’d been admitted.” She gently stroked her flat stomach. The flower-shaped diamond on her hand was blinding. “It’s from Landon. Though, I think it’s a little small for an engagement ring, don’t you think?” She held up her hand theatrically. “Speaking of which, I don’t think I ever properly thanked you for saving my life.” Seeing my confusion, she covered her mouth in mock surprise. “Oh. You don’t know?”
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