I Craved Crawfish, but He Fed It All to My Sister Chapter 03

I Craved Crawfish, but He Fed It All to My Sister Chapter 03

Two days before the procedure, I went back to the hospital for a follow-up.

On the way home, a storm flooded half the city.

The cab had just come off the expressway when we got caught in a multi-car collision.

The driver was knocked unconscious on impact. I was pinned in the back seat, blood pouring from a gash on my forehead.

My lower abdomen clenched painfully.

I called Derek.

The first thing I heard was Maren crying. “The thunder’s so loud, Derek. I’m scared.”

Through the pounding rain, Derek said, “Sloane, I’m not coming home tonight.”

“I’ve been in a car accident.”

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment.

“Where are you?”

“South expressway exit. The door’s jammed. I’m having stomach pain.”

A crack of thunder exploded overhead. Maren screamed.

“Call emergency services first.”

“The line’s been busy every time I try.”

“I just need you to—”

“Enough.”

He picked the phone back up, breathing hard.

“Do you always have to make this about you when she’s terrified?”

The call ended. I called again. His phone was off.

I slammed my elbow against the window over and over.

I don’t know how long it went on.

Until I heard the screech of brakes beyond the guardrail.

Someone ran through the rain toward me, calling the police while smashing the window with a rescue hammer.

“Don’t fall asleep. The ambulance is almost here.”

By the time the paramedics arrived, I had completely lost consciousness.

I burned with fever all night.

When I woke the next morning, the doctor told me the baby had survived for now, but the risks of both miscarriage and surgery were climbing.

A nurse set my phone on the bed. Derek had called seventeen times.

I didn’t return a single one. That afternoon, I went back to the house alone to get my documents.

Derek was sitting in the living room. When he saw me walk in, he shot to his feet. “You really were in an accident last night?”

I stepped around him and headed for the stairs.

He caught up and grabbed my wrist. The moment he saw the bandages, his grip loosened.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?”

“I didn’t see the accident news until I turned my phone on this morning.”

“I did wait.”

Three words, and his whole face tensed.

Derek snatched up his car keys. “I’m taking you back to the hospital.”

Maren’s voice drifted down from upstairs. “Derek, my leg hurts again.”

Derek froze in place. I looked at him. I waited two seconds. Then I pulled my hand free. “Go take care of her.”

Passing the kitchen, I smelled the soup he always made when his stomach acted up. It was still on the stove, nearly boiled dry.

I was already at the door, but my feet stopped on their own.

Six years of instinct don’t just disappear. I turned off the burner and poured out what was left.

Derek took the bowl. His fingers brushed mine, and his voice came out low.

“I made the wrong call last night.”

“I thought you were just trying to get me to come home.”

It was the first time he’d ever admitted he was wrong.

My eyes stung.

Then Maren came down the stairs with a glass of water.

She barely took a sip before blood showed at the corner of her lips. “Sloane, did you put glass in my water?”

She held out a piece of paper.

It read: [Take anything else that’s mine, and next time it won’t just be glass.]

The handwriting was an exact imitation of mine.

I pulled out my phone and took photos of the note and the glass. “Call the police.”

Maren’s face changed. “Don’t call the police.”

“Sloane’s still pregnant. What if this leaves a record?”

Derek snatched the phone out of my hand.

“Sloane, apologize.”

“I didn’t do it.”

“Then who did?”

“Let the police run fingerprints. Check the cameras.”

Maren covered her mouth and sobbed.

The moment Derek saw the blood on her lips, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes vanished.

He picked up another glass from the table, grabbed my jaw, and forced my head back.

“Whatever she drank, you drink.”

“Drink it, and I’ll believe you.”

There were glass shards at the bottom of that water too.

I thrashed against him. “Derek, let go of me!”

The rim slammed against my teeth.

Ice-cold water flooded my mouth. A shard sliced through my throat.

A sharp, searing pain exploded.

I collapsed to my knees, coughing blood onto his shoes.

Derek went rigid.

“Sloane…”

He took one step forward, and Maren fainted.

Derek turned on instinct and caught her in his arms.

He hesitated for only a few seconds before lifting her up and running out.

I lay on the floor, picked up my blood-smeared phone, and called for an ambulance. Then I dialed another number.

“Evan Hayes. I want a divorce.”

From now on, I was done waiting for Derek to choose me.