Page 105 of Ruthless Lullaby

Alexis whips out her phone, scrolling through it with a predatory gleam in her eyes. "Oh, look at these cute little pictures my friend snapped of Maurice and you, getting all warm and cozy at a cafe. You know, you really should be more careful not to be seen in public with the men you spread your legs to, sis."

She shoves the phone in my face, and my heart sinks as I see the damning images. There I am in the coffee shop, with Maurice holding my hands.

"Not impressed?” Alexis shrugs. “No problem. There’s more where that came from!" She swipes to another photo and shows me the screen. This one is of me at the pharmacy the other day, clutching the pregnancy test.

I shake my head in disbelief. "You're stalking me?"

"Don’t flatter yourself, sis. Just a little detective work," she says. I really wish I could wipe that grin off her face. "Or call it a background check. Amazing what you can do with the skills I picked up at StarDust."

My eyes remain fixed on my sister, but she looks like a stranger to me now. Something inside me shatters and tears begin to well up, streaming down my cheeks in a steady flow. "I just want my sister back," I choke out, my voice heavy with sorrow. "The real one." I yearn for Emily's presence but I know she will never be back. As for Alexis, she is no more than the shell of the person she used to be. All I can see is a cruel, drug-addicted traitor to our family who will literally do anything for her next fix.

"Your sister is gone, Mindy, thanks to you," Alexis says, and shrugs casually. "You killed her along with Emily and Mom. You killed your whole family." Her voice is as casual as if she were talking about the weather. "Oh, look what we have here." She dramatically holds up her phone to reveal another photo.

No!

It’s the contract.

A clear image, with my signature at the bottom.

My blood runs cold. "How the hell did you get that?" I whisper.

Alexis's lips curl into a satisfied smile. It is clear that she is enjoying my humiliation. It is written all over her face. "Oh, Mindy. Always so careless with your secrets. Did you really think that contract was safe in your glove box?"

I feel heat rising in my cheeks. "You went through my stuff?"

"Let's not exaggerate, okay? I only took a little peek in your glovebox when I borrowed your car the other day," she says, feigning innocence in her tone. "You know, when mine was in the shop? I never thought I'd stumble upon such a goldmine of information about my own sister."

I'm shaking now. No human being is designed to handle this amount of stress. I have no job, no income, my mother is dying, I’m pregnant from a criminal, and my sister is blackmailing me in the cruelest way possible. I don’t know what to think or feel. "You had no right," is all that comes out, but Alexis quickly interrupts me.

"No right?" She sneers, her pitch rising. "Do you think you had a right to kill Emily and slowly torture Mom to her grave? No Mindy,youhave no right! You have no right to deny me the painkillers that could take my pain away. Pain that you caused!"

I’m speechless. I think I want to throw up. Every single word she says is like a sharp blade twisting in my gut.

"Look at you! You're playing wife to a Russian billionaire while carrying his brother's child?" She’s yelling now. There are people looking at us from the other side of the canteen. "That’s a story to remember, if you ask me. It could make you a celebrity, dear sis. And if I’m not mistaken, it’s a story you don’t want me to expose. So, what’s it gonna be, huh?"

The cafeteria seems to spin around me as the full weight of my sister’s venomous words sinks in. This isn't my Alexis anymore. The one I grew up with. The one I remember from my childhood. This is a stranger wearing her face. An evil stranger, wielding my secrets like weapons.

"What do you want, Alexis?" I whisper, my voice hollow.

She leans in close, her eyes glittering with triumph. "I want what's mine. A fifty percent cut of your new life, your new fortune. It’s the least you can do for your family, right? Think about that."

As Alexis stands to leave, her smug smile still in place, I feel something inside me dissolve. It’s the last thread of sisterly affection, leaving behind a cold, empty resolve. Watching her walk away, I make a silent vow. No more trust. No more vulnerability. If this is the game she wants to play, then I'll be making my own rules from now on.

Because in this screwed-up world, the only person I can rely on is myself.

Chapter Forty

Mindy

I trudge back to my mom's room.

My body feels like lead and I just want this day to be over. I brace myself for the sight of her fragile form hooked up to machines, but when I swing open the door, I'm shocked by what I see.

She is sitting up in bed, looking more alive than I've seen her in weeks. Her eyes are shining and her cheeks are red. She almost looks like her old self, the one who could light up a room with her joy and laughter.

"Mom?" I whisper, my voice trembling with disbelief. "What... how...?"

She turns to me, her face splitting into a radiant grin. "Mindy, my darling. Come here, let me have a look at you."

---