He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 04

He Scored My Life A 4 And Hers A 10 Chapter 04

After what felt like an eternity, the red light above the ER door finally shut off.

My mom survived.

That was when my phone buzzed with a message from the caregiver.

[This is my fault. A young woman showed up this afternoon claiming to be your husband’s friend. She brought homemade food for your mom, so I let her in.]

[But your mom got worse right after eating…]

My knuckles went white. I pulled the security footage and had the food tested immediately. It was Sloane who’d brought it. Pork roast braised in bourbon.

My mom had a heart condition. And she was severely allergic to alcohol.

I sent the surveillance screenshots and lab report to Derek. [Sloane tried to kill my mom.]

His response came an hour later.

[Apologize to Sloane.]

The absurdity of it made me dizzy. I called him.

He answered quickly this time, and the first thing out of his mouth was an accusation.

“Laurel, when did you become so ungrateful?”

“Sloane was kind enough to give you a fair chance in the group. She even apologized to everyone on your behalf. And now you’re faking evidence to smear her?”

I breathed deep. “The proof is at the hospital. Come see it yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Derek paused. Then he let out an impatient laugh.

“Pulling the same stunt twice? It’s getting old. I’m not wasting my time on a trip that’s not worth it.”

“One point. Apologize to Sloane, and I’ll reset your score.”

He still thought I was playing games.

Still thought I’d bend over backward for his stupid numbers.

I let out a bitter breath. “And if I press charges?”

He didn’t hesitate. “Then I’ll have every reason to believe you’ve completely lost your judgment.”

“Nothing about you will ever make it onto my schedule again.”

The last bit of warmth I had left for him went cold.

“Fine.”

I hung up and called the police.

I handed everything to my attorney.

He could kick me off his schedule all he wanted.

I was done playing his game.

Three days later, after transferring my mom to a different hospital, I took a cab to the airport.

On the way, Derek sent a few messages.

“Today marks one week since we lost the baby. I’ll let you set up a small memorial in the pet room.”

“But I have a ten-point commitment with Sloane right now. We’ll do the memorial when I get back.”

A second later, Sloane posted on Instagram.

A group photo. Twenty-plus people from the review group.

Derek and Sloane in the center, puppies in their arms.

[100-day celebration for the little ones!]

I blocked them all without a second thought.

I felt nothing.

He had no idea that tonight, he wouldn’t find a memorial for our child.

He’d find the police. And a court summons.

I reached the airport just as the boarding call echoed through the terminal.

I walked through the gate and never looked back.

At ten that night, Derek rushed home from the party.

He’d sent Sloane’s dogs back to her place so he could be home to honor the one-week memorial and patch things up with me.

He’d let me stew for three or four days. That was enough.

He was sure I’d learned my lesson.

If my attitude was good, he might even let me move back in and give me half the pet room.

He opened the front door, fully expecting me to be there.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

The house was silent. No sign of anyone.

An uneasy feeling crept up his spine.

He flipped on the light and called my name.

Then his eyes landed on the envelope sitting on the coffee table.

He read the title.

The color drained from his face.