Choosing The Imposter Over His Dying Wife

ars of her life to save my fa

I didn't greet her with love.

Ericka was a traitor faking her illne

ge four cancer, I laughed an

in a freezi

her skin blistered, then doused

hospital to kneel in the

balcony, broken and bleedi

ving every one of Hailie's lies

body on the rocks below the cliffs

rmed the cancer I

ad framed her all along, admitting s

n who saved my life until she boug

ricka's funeral, but death

a scarred monster

losed my eyes in the

rd a

the date on my phone

Ericka

pte

cka

he heir of the Chicago Outfit. But when I finally clawed

a mistake that had th

septic and expensive lilies-the s

, anchored by lead

ut my throat was li

ake," a v

n't my

my fianc

man I didn'

, then sharpened

etite brunette with doe eyes and a tre

id, the Matriarch of t

e no tear

nconvenienced line where

is voice was the same gravelly baritone that commanded

're

like an a

room, desperate fo

I saw

b Sk

omised to burn the world down if

e doorframe, his suit cut

yes were c

e was looking at me like I was a lia

," I r

dn't

"I'm so glad you're okay, Ericka. We wer

with my bone marrow-the very procedure that had sent my b

e you?"

y. "I've been... helping the

lpi

at Cale

over to him. She placed a hand on hi

dn't sha

ibs, a painful, frantic rhythm

my brother

unning the family. Something yo

om shifted. It be

my muscles had atrophie

o go home

ng to the Estat

hat used to make me feel saf

ha

ith fake concern. "The doctors said the coma might have..

is fine,"

ying her face in Caleb's sh

ed. He looked at me

se in the Marsh," Caleb said.

here. My plac

oking down at Hailie. "By someone w

arged three

't tak

the back of a

the front se

irror. She whispered something in his

but I swallowed it down. It t

, the ca

e scr

ed, pointing back at me through the pa

to the door handl

uch anything

mmed on t

to a halt on the

He ripped

sk for an e

out by the h

bit into my

against the hood of the car. "After everythi

Caleb! Look at

look. He d

sed, repeating a lie I knew Hailie must have planted.

his cologne-sandalwood and gunpowder. The scent of the

ess anymore, Ericka

e back int

silence to

ouse that smelled o

the heavy oak door. "You stay

door, my knees h

dn't

ricka Reid who went to sle

led her were the on