Mother's Murder, His Lie

The news came like a death sentence.

"Scarlett," Kaiden's voice was calm, almost clinical, as he stood in our kitchen doorway. "Delilah's mother has been diagnosed with acute liver failure."

I looked up from the coffee I'd been pretending to drink, my hands still shaking from the last round of painkillers. "What does that have to do with me?"

His eyes—those eyes I once thought held love for me—were cold as winter stone. "You're a match. You'll be donating part of your liver to save her."

The mug slipped from my fingers, shattering against the tile floor. Coffee splashed across my bare feet, but I barely felt it. "You can't be serious."

"I've already arranged everything," he said, stepping closer. "The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

"No." I backed away, my spine hitting the counter behind me. "Absolutely not. I won't do it."

Kaiden's jaw tightened. "This isn't a request, Scarlett. Delilah's mother will die without this transplant."

"And that's supposed to be my problem?" My voice cracked. "After what you did with my mother's eyes?"

His expression hardened. "Your grief is making you irrational. I've spoken with Dr. Reynolds—he agrees you need help."

The next thing I knew, military police were at our door. Kaiden had used his connections to have me declared mentally incompetent due to "grief-induced irrationality." They took me to a private medical facility where I was restrained to a bed, sedated, and prepped for surgery.

"Please," I begged as they wheeled me into the operating room. "Don't do this."

The last thing I saw before the anesthesia took hold was Kaiden standing beside Delilah, her hand in his, both watching me with expressions I couldn't decipher.

When I woke, my abdomen was wrapped in bandages, pain radiating through my entire body. A nurse told me the surgery had been successful—part of my liver now lived inside Delilah's mother.

---

Three days later, I was recovering in our guest room when I heard Delilah's voice downstairs. She'd been staying with us since her mother's surgery, Kaiden insisting it was "the right thing to do."

I pulled myself from bed, wincing at the pain in my side, and made my way to the hallway. Delilah's purse sat on the chair outside her room—she must have left it there in her haste to answer Kaiden's call.

Something compelled me to look inside.

Beneath her wallet and keys was a small notebook. I flipped it open, my heart stopping at what I found:

*Seventeen stab wounds—exactly as planned. The old woman never suspected a thing.*

*Eyes secured. Next: liver.*

My hands trembled as I read entry after entry detailing my mother's murder—things only the killer would know. Details that hadn't been released to the public.

"Scarlett?"

I spun around to find Kaiden standing there, his expression unreadable.

"I know what she did," I whispered, holding up the notebook. "She planned my mother's murder. She knew exactly how many stab wounds there would be."

Kaiden took the notebook from my shaking hands, his eyes scanning the pages. Then he looked at me with something like pity.

"This proves nothing," he said finally. "These could be notes from anywhere—a crime novel, perhaps. You're being paranoid, Scarlett."

"Paranoid?" My voice rose. "She killed my mother!"

"No." His voice was firm, final. "You're jealous of Delilah's place in our lives. You're seeing conspiracies where none exist."

He tucked the notebook into his pocket. "I'll have this analyzed by military intelligence. Until then, I suggest you focus on your recovery."

---

The earthquake struck without warning.

One moment I was browsing through clothes at the mall with Delilah—Kaiden had insisted we bond—the next, the ground was heaving beneath us. Shelves collapsed, lights shattered, and screams echoed through the building.

"Kaiden!" Delilah cried out as debris rained down around us.

I grabbed her arm, pulling her toward an exit, but a fallen beam blocked our path. We were trapped in a rapidly collapsing shopping center, dust and smoke filling the air.

Then I heard his voice—Kaiden's—calling out from somewhere beyond the rubble.

"Delilah!"

He appeared through the chaos like an avenging angel, his military training evident in every movement as he cleared debris with superhuman strength.

"Kaiden," I coughed, my lungs burning from the dust. "Help us!"

But his eyes went straight to Delilah, ignoring me completely. With tender care that once belonged to me, he lifted her into his arms.

"I've got you," he murmured, carrying her toward safety without a backward glance.

I watched in horror as he left me behind, alone in the crumbling building. My husband—the man who had vowed to protect me—had chosen her without hesitation.

With trembling hands, I pulled a fallen shelf from my legs and crawled toward the exit he'd created. Behind me, another section of the ceiling collapsed, sending concrete and steel crashing down where I'd been moments before.

I stumbled into the daylight, blood streaming from cuts on my arms and face. In the distance, I could see Kaiden placing Delilah gently in an ambulance, his hands lingering on hers as paramedics took over.

He never looked back for me.