[Present]
Brianna had spent ten hours thinking about how she got into this mess; she didn't know when she had finally fallen asleep.
Honk. Honk.
She opened her eyes slowly, inhaling the suffocating leather and cedar aroma of a luxury interior.
Brianna soon realized she wasn't on the floor in the hospital, but rather...
"You're finally awake."
The voice was familiar, cutting through her grogginess. Brianna didn't even have to look to know who it was. She was in the back of the Senior Mrs. Colburn's car.
Trying to sit up, Brianna's neck felt stiff. She tried to move it but was accompanied by a sharp pain. She groaned, rubbing her neck to relieve the pain.
"I told Marcus to drop you softly. I guess he didn't enjoy your last show." Her mother-in-law sat beside her, staring out the window.
Brianna sat upright despite the pain. "What is this about?"
"What happened to my son?"
Brianna stiffened as her mind raced through the timeline she had sold to her in-laws. After she tried to resurrect Lucian, she panicked and carried his body downstairs.
Didn't they believe the theatrics? She could still feel the phantom tears on her face from when she sobbed, claiming she'd found him unresponsive in the bathtub. They had believed her then. Why was this woman questioning her now?
"It's exactly what I told you. I found him in the bathtub. He must have slipped when he was soaking."
Senior Mrs Colburn's composure was calm. "Are you sure, Brianna? Are you quite sure that's how it happened?"
Brianna didn't know if the woman knew something, or if she was just fishing for a crack in the armor.
Still, she steadied her voice and tried again. "I know what I saw—"
"And I know you pushed him off the balcony."
The words were quiet, but they hit Brianna harder than the hospital floor ever could.
"I know you hid him when we arrived for dinner," the older woman continued, finally turning to look at her.
"No wonder you spent hours inside before opening the door. You hid him in the bathtub, didn't you? And when you finally went to 'check' on him... well, who knows what you did. But then you sneaked back downstairs, dragged him to the car, and pulled that dramatic sobbing act."
Senior Mrs. Colburn clicked her tongue, a sound of genuine, mocking admiration.
"Which, to be honest, I have to give to you. I did fall for it at first. You're quite good at mind games, aren't you?"
For a split second, Brianna's mask fell off. Her eyes widened and her breath hitched in her throat. But as a psychologist, none of that revealed on her face.
She knew how to lie to the doctors with a straight face, and how to gaslight her in-laws into thinking they didn't see what they thought they saw.
"I know you think you know what you're saying, but—"
"Brianna, don't. Don't try to manipulate me." The Mother-in-law leaned in closer, the scent of lilies suddenly feeling like the smell of a funeral. "I'm not calling the cops on you. But I am angry that you didn't finish the job well."
Brianna raised her brows.
"I mean, if you really want to get away with murder, at least finish the person." She sighed, looking out the window as the car slowed. "It's a good thing you have a mother-in-law like me, who'll finish the job for you."
Brianna looked out the window, then back at her mother in-law. She didn't think she was hearing things. And she knew Lucian's mother didn't like him, but that wasn't enough to 'finish the job.'
And saying it's for her was pushing her real motive behind.
"I... I don't know what to say about this."
"I already thought carefully about this last night. We can all agree no one wanted Lucian around—"
"So killing him works for you?"
Brianna had raised her voice, making Senior Mrs Colburn shocked.
"I never said that. Besides, I'm not the one who pushed him off the balcony and hide him like he's a sack of potatoes."
"At least he wasn't dead."
"Whatever helps you sleep at night, Brianna." She turned to the window, murmuring. "The doctors said he wasn't going to survive in the long run, after all. It was better he wasn't a burden on any of us."
The doctors had told Brianna they weren't sure he would survive, and she felt relieved. She knew this whole experience had messed up her morality.
Even though she wanted Lucian to stay dead, she wondered how his grandmother would feel about this news.
"Do we agree not to mention this to Madam Colburn?" Senior Mrs. Colburn said, finally looking at Brianna.
Brianna nodded, biting her inside of her mouth.
"We both know how she's persistent about having the next generation of Colburn's from you. Now there's no Lucian..."
The Dowager had married her off to Lucian to birth their next bloodline because of her genes. Brianna came from one of the prettiest and decent families in the city.
And it was also one of the reasons Lucian hated her.
But since there's no Lucian, she wasn't sure if the contract was now breached.
"We can't upset her. You know we have to give her her wish, given her state."
Brianna looked at her mother in-law to see where this was going.
"Which is why you'll have to marry Keenan Colburn."
Brianna's jaw dropped. "Lucian's nephew?"
"Yes." Senior Mrs Colburn nodded as if it was the most normal thing to say.
How could she marry someone who still called her auntie?!