Chapter 4

I glared at her, wishing my stare could burn a hole right through her.

I was done playing nice. "She is Marcus's mother," I snapped. "If anything happens to her, he will make you pay the second he gets here!"

Sabrina let out a sharp, cruel laugh. "Wow. You really will say anything. I heard you earlier—you said she was your mother-in-law. So how did she magically turn into Marcus's mom?"

She sneered down at us. "You completely ruined my day. I'm going to make sure you remember this—next time you leave the house, watch where you're going."

Beatrice was trembling in my arms, her breathing dangerously shallow. Her heart condition was rapidly spiraling out of control.

She needed her emergency medication immediately, or she was going to die.

Tears stung my eyes as I screamed for help. "Please! Someone help us! She's dying!"

The pool deck remained silent and empty. No one came to our rescue.

Even Leon was starting to panic. "Sabrina, what if—"

She cut him off with an ice-cold glare. "Relax. Old people are tougher than you think. She's just faking it. My husband is on his way, so let them stay in the water a few more minutes. If something bad was going to happen, it already would have."

She was dead wrong.

If we missed the critical window by even a single minute, Beatrice would not survive.

A heavy wave of despair crushed my chest.

Just then, the hotel manager rushed over. I screamed until my throat burned, "Help! She's having a heart attack! Get her out of the water now, and call an ambulance!"

He had seen Beatrice years ago, but he clearly didn't recognize her now. Still, one look at her deteriorating state sent him into a panic. He had only come over to smooth things over with Sabrina after hearing the commotion, completely unprepared for a life-or-death situation.

He hesitated, caught between offending Sabrina and risking a fatal incident on his shift that would cost him his job.

Finally, he forced a polite smile. "Ms. Hayes, perhaps we should let them out of the pool first? If something terrible actually happens, the pool will have to be closed."

Sabrina shot him a look of pure arrogance. "Fine. Since you're asking so nicely, I'll let them out."

The manager quickly waved Leon over, and together they dragged Beatrice and me out of the water.

Beatrice lay on the tiles, completely still. I didn't even pause to catch my breath; I sprinted straight to the locker room, grabbed my bag, and raced back.

With shaking hands, I fumbled for her emergency heart pills and moved to slip them into her mouth.

Suddenly, Sabrina kicked the bottle right out of my hand, sending the remaining pills scattering straight into the pool.

I snapped my head up, trembling with sheer rage. She just curled her lip in disgust. "Drop the act. I already let you out, so get lost. If you ever see me again, turn around and walk the other way. Consider yourself lucky I'm being nice this time."

Blind fury took over. I lunged forward and slapped Sabrina across the face as hard as I could. "If anything happens to Beatrice, I will make you—and Marcus—pay."

She shrieked, utterly stunned that I had dared to strike her. "You're insane! I shouldn't have gone soft. I should have let you two bitches drown!"

I tried to go after her again, but Leon and the manager grabbed my shoulders, holding me back. Sabrina went wild, slapping me across the face over and over until I lost count.

The sharp sting finally snapped me back to reality. If I wasted another second fighting her, Beatrice was going to die.

I tore myself free and yanked out my phone, immediately dialing Marcus. "Marcus, Mom is having a massive heart attack. We're at the Crestmont Hotel pool in Maris. Get the closest medical team here right now. If you're too late, she's going to die."

He sighed, sounding thoroughly annoyed. "Your mom has had heart issues forever. Doesn't she know how to manage them by now? I'm in the middle of a meeting. Call an ambulance yourself."

Then the line went dead.

I stared at the phone, shaking with fresh disbelief. He had heard the word "Mom" and automatically assumed I meant mine. Did he seriously not remember whose mother actually had a severe heart condition?

A second later, Sabrina spun toward the entrance, her face lighting up with joy. "Marcus—you're finally here!"