Colette bit her lip and lowered her gaze, masking the jealousy flickering in her eyes. Then, she obediently opened the car’s back door.
Frederick had originally planned to take me to the hospital. But out of nowhere, Colette piped up from the back seat, “Ana, when I fell out the window five months ago, I was bleeding from the head, too. I still get headaches now and then. If you’re feeling unwell, make sure you tell the doctor everything.”
In an instant, Frederick’s expression turned cold. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel before making a U-turn.
“Anastasia, if it weren’t for Colette’s mercy, you’d already be behind bars!” he snapped. “I don’t think you need to go to the hospital anymore.
“She’s been dealing with headaches for five months because of you. So, to make things fair, you should suffer through five months of pain as penance.”
…
In no time, we pulled into the driveway.
After five months away, the house no longer felt like mine.
The yard I had poured my heart into, once full of lilies, was gone, replaced by a bed of red roses—Colette’s favorite. Beside it, the swing I had built now carried a sign that read, “Reserved for Colette only”.
Inside, Helen Kerr, the housekeeper who had watched me grow up, was nowhere to be found. In her place stood a stranger.
The new housekeeper didn’t even acknowledge my presence. Instead, she went straight to Colette, took her bag with both hands, and practically lowered her head in reverence.
“Welcome home, Mrs. Burke. I made your favorite spaghetti.”
Colette’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Even so, she put on an innocent act just for me.
“Ana, this is Karen Walker. She only started recently, and since you were away in the mountains, she mistook me for the lady of the house,” explained Colette. “Don’t take it personally, okay?”
I ignored the smugness beneath her words. All I could see was the bracelet on Karen’s wrist.
