Chapter 3

Sabrina's POV

I opened the door.

My parents stood in the hallway with Gilbert right behind them. Yvonne was there too, her face wet with tears.

"What happened?" I asked.

Yvonne's hands were shaking. "Sabrina... I messed up..."

My mother grabbed my arm and pulled me into the living room. Everyone followed.

"Sit down," my father said.

I sat.

Yvonne kept crying, making these small hiccupping sounds. Gilbert put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tell her what you told us," my mother said to Yvonne.

Yvonne wiped her eyes. "I wore your necklace to the masquerade ball tonight. I had on an angel mask." Her voice cracked. "There was this girl by the pool wearing a rabbit mask. I thought she looked friendly so I went over to talk to her."

She paused and more tears came.

"She said horrible things to me. She laughed at my dress and called me pathetic." Yvonne's hands clenched into fists. "I got so angry. I couldn't stand it. I pushed her into the pool."

The room went quiet.

"She's from the Lawson family." Yvonne's voice dropped. "They traced the necklace back to us. They called asking which woman from our family was at the ball."

I looked at my parents and then at Gilbert.

"Sabrina," my father said. "The Lawsons called. You need to admit you pushed that girl."

My chest got tight and I could barely breathe.

"This is for Yvonne's sake," Gilbert added. "You understand, right?"

I understood. The Lawson family. Everyone knew about them and their connections to organized crime, their reputation for violence, the way people just disappeared when they crossed that family.

I looked at Yvonne sitting there crying fake tears, at my parents and Gilbert watching me expectantly,, then stood up without saying anything.

"Sabrina, where are you going?" My mother's voice rose. "You need to answer us!"

I walked to my room, pulled out the cancer diagnosis from my bag, placed it in the drawer next to the marriage certificate I'd registered that morning.

I stared at both papers for a long moment, then closed the drawer.

The Lawson family's men came for me an hour later.

They didn't speak. Just grabbed my arms and pulled me out to a black car. My parents and Gilbert stood in the doorway watching. None of them said a word.

The drive took thirty minutes. We went through a gate, down a long driveway, and stopped in front of a massive stone mansion.

They dragged me around to the back where a pool.

A man in an suit stood by the water's edge. His hair was silver and his eyes were cold.

"You're the one who pushed my daughter," he said.

"I—"

"Since you like pushing people into pools so much," he continued, "let's see how you enjoy it."

That's when I noticed the movement in the water. Dark shapes circling just below the surface.

"Piranhas," the man said, following my gaze. "I keep them as pets."

My heart stopped.

"No," I said. "Please, I didn't—"

The guards shoved me forward. I tried to fight but there were too many of them.

The water hit me like ice. I surfaced, gasping, and immediately felt something brush against my leg. Then another. Then pain exploded across my calf.

I screamed.

I tried to swim to the edge but the fish kept coming. Teeth tearing into my arms, my sides, my back. The water turned pink, then red.

I was drowning in my own blood. The pain became everything. I couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't see anything but red.

Then hands grabbed me. Pulled me up. Dropped me on the concrete.

I lay there shaking and bleeding while someone wrapped bandages around me. Just covered the wounds quickly and roughly.

"Take her home," someone said.

They dumped me on my parents' doorstep.

Gilbert opened the door. My mother and father stood behind him.

"You're back," my mother said. She looked me up and down. "You don't look that bad."

I was covered in hastily wrapped bandages. My clothes were soaked through with blood and pool water. I could barely stand.

"Honestly," Gilbert said, "I'm surprised the Lawsons let you go so easily."

"Well, come inside," my father said. "You're dripping on the porch."

I walked past them without speaking. Every step sent pain shooting through my body. The bandages were already bleeding through.

I went straight to my room and shut the door.

Behind me, I heard my mother say to Gilbert, "At least Yvonne is safe. That's what matters."

I peeled off my wet clothes slowly. The bandages underneath were soaked red. I needed to change them.

The door opened.

Yvonne walked in without knocking. Her eyes lit up when she saw the blood.

"Oh my God," she said, but she was smiling. "You look terrible."

I didn't respond. Just started unwrapping the bandages from my arm.

"I'm so glad you went instead of me," Yvonne continued. "Can you imagine if these scars were on my body? I'd be ruined."

She closed the door behind her and pulled out a cigarette. Lit it right there in my room.

The smoke curled up toward the ceiling.

She's been healthy for years.

I happened to see her at a nightclub when I walked past in high school. Dancing, drinking, smoking. I told my parents the next day.

My mother slapped me twice. "How dare you make up lies about Yvonne. You're just jealous that she's prettier than you."

My father agreed. "Your jealousy is disgusting."

I stopped trying to tell them the truth after that.

Yvonne took a long drag from her cigarette and blew smoke in my direction. "Nothing to say? Usually you're crying and begging by now."

I finished wrapping a clean bandage around my arm and started on the next wound.

"You're boring," Yvonne said. She dropped the cigarette on my floor and stepped on it. "Whatever. Enjoy your scars."

She left.

I sat there on my bed surrounded by bloody bandages and finished treating my wounds in silence.

Three days until the drug trial.

I kept thinking about what would happen if I died in there. Would my parents feel sad when they got the news? Would Gilbert regret sending me? Would any of them wish they'd treated me differently, loved Yvonne a little less and me a little more?

Maybe they'd feel guilty for a day or two. Maybe they'd cry at my funeral and tell everyone how much they loved their daughter.

Or maybe they wouldn't feel anything at all. Maybe they'd just be relieved I was gone and they could focus completely on Yvonne without me getting in the way.

Yeah. Probably that.

Three days later, they came to take me to the research facility.

My parents drove. Gilbert sat in the passenger seat. Yvonne squeezed my hand in the back seat like she cared.

"I'm so excited," my mother said. "Finally, Yvonne will be healthy again."

"It's a miracle," my father added.

Gilbert turned around in his seat to look at Yvonne. "After you're cured, where do you want to go? We can take a trip anywhere."

"Oh!" My mother clapped her hands. "Yes, let's plan something special."

"Where should we go, Yvonne?" Gilbert asked.

Yvonne looked at me. "Where does Sabrina want to go?"

Everyone turned to look at me. Waiting for my answer.

"Heaven," I said.

The car went quiet.

"What did you just say?" My mother snapped