"How's your grandma doing?"
Drew's voice came from behind me.
Behind him, their wedding portraits covered the entire living room wall.
In the largest frame, Zelda nestled against his chest, smiling like she'd won the world.
I forced my voice out, rough and scraped raw:
"She's still in the ER. Waiting for the money so they can operate."
Drew walked toward me slowly, stopping close enough to look down at me.
His dark eyes held no warmth at all. Only possession, bare and undisguised.
"Save her? You were about to leave me. Why would I save anyone for you?"
I bit down hard on my lip, tears of humiliation burning at the edges of my eyes.
"Then what do you want?"
He leaned in close to my ear. His breath was warm against my skin, and it turned me cold all the way through.
"Stay. No more talk of leaving. No interfering with me and Zelda. Be my mistress. For the rest of your life."
My whole body shook. My knees nearly gave out. My nails dug into my palms until they broke skin, but I couldn't feel it.
I closed my eyes, summoned every last scrap of strength in my body, and said, word by word...