Chapter 4

The next morning, I turned on my phone. Dozens of abusive text messages flooded in—all from Lucas.

[Vanessa, you selfish bitch! You think you can just wash your hands of everything and walk away?]

[You even sabotaged the washing machine on your way out. How can you be so vicious?]

[Let me tell you something—Kyler and I are going to be just fine without you!]

I blocked his number without expression and deleted every message.

Life was harder than I expected.

Every résumé I sent out disappeared into the void.

After five years as a stay-at-home mom, my work history was worthless in today's job market.

The money in my account drained rapidly between rent and daily expenses.

Zoe was incredibly understanding. She never asked for new toys or pretty clothes. When I bought her milk, she would whisper:

"Mom, water is fine too."

Every time she said that, my heart ached.

No. This couldn't continue.

Then I suddenly remembered something.

In my previous life, right around this time, an obscure tech company made a breakthrough with a patented technology. Its stock skyrocketed fifty times over in just one month.

I still remembered the ticker symbol.

The only problem? I didn't have any capital.

I opened the jewelry box I'd brought from the Gray house.

Inside were my mother's belongings—a pair of jade bracelets, a pearl necklace, and several pieces of gold jewelry.

In my previous life, Rita had taken these under the guise of "keeping them safe for me." I never saw them again.

I took a deep breath and closed the box.

Mom, I'm sorry.

I found the most reputable pawn shop and pawned everything except the jade bracelets. With gold prices high, I didn't lose much.

I walked out with about seventy thousand dollars.

Combined with my savings, I had just under a hundred thousand.

I left the pawn shop clutching the thin pawn ticket, my palms slick with sweat.

I invested every penny into that stock.

The moment the transaction went through, I felt dizzy—like I'd just bet everything on a single hand.

My phone rang. Unknown number.

I answered. Rita's shrill, hysterical voice exploded through the speaker.

"Vanessa! Get back here! Kyler has a high fever! He's having seizures! Lucas won't do anything!"

"Take him to the hospital."

My tone was cold.

"What hospital? You used to handle this yourself! Come back and give him a cold compress! He's the Gray family's hope—he can't have anything happen to him!"

She was babbling incoherently.

I could almost see my past self.

It had been a night just like this. Kyler had a febrile seizure. I'd rushed him to the hospital while Lucas complained over the phone that I was overreacting and ruining his night out with friends.

The doctor said if I'd arrived ten minutes later, the boy's brain would have been permanently damaged.

And now, they wanted me—the ex-wife—to come fix their problem again.

"Rita," I said, my voice calm and flat. "He's your grandson. Not mine. I have nothing to do with your family anymore. Stop harassing me."

"You witch! You'll get what's coming to you!" she screamed.

I hung up.

I stood on the bustling street corner, the evening wind lifting my hair.

I looked at the stock ticker I'd just bought on my phone. It was climbing. The red line kept rising...