The Wife Who Jumped on New Year's Eve

Chapter 6

The room was draped with thick curtains, plunging the space into darkness. Joanna Taylor curled into a ball on the floor, her mind a jumble of fragmented memories she couldn't grasp.

Clang.

A maid carelessly tossed a tray onto the ground, spilling soup and water everywhere.

"Eat," she sneered, her tone dripping with arrogance, clearly relishing the chance to humiliate her mistress.

Joanna didn't even lift her head, her expression dull and lifeless.

The maid shot her a disdainful glare. "Still acting like the lady of the house? Crystal Lynn has already moved in. You'll be kicked out sooner or later." She scoffed. "Starve for all I care. No one's going to bother with you."

Joanna stared at the maid—once obsequious, now cruel—and felt nothing but bitter amusement. Ryan Bennett hadn't even left her with the slightest shred of dignity.

Was I too greedy? she wondered.

All she had wanted was to fulfill Grandma Wilson and Lily's last wishes. Instead, she had lost even their ashes.

The sharp click of heels echoed down the hallway before Crystal appeared in the doorway, draped in a flowing red dress that accentuated her curves.

"Joanna, look at my new dress. Want me to get you one?" she cooed, then feigned shock, covering her mouth with a delicate hand. "Oh, silly me. I forgot—you can't wear red now."

She tutted mockingly. "How tragic. Your family died so horribly. And where was Ryan at the time?" She tapped her chin in faux contemplation. "Ah, right. He was comforting me."

Each word was a knife twisting in Joanna's chest. She had thought herself numb to pain, but this—this was excruciating.

Her eyes burned red as she lifted her gaze, her voice hoarse from screaming.

"Crystal Lynn, aren't you afraid of karma?" she rasped. "You wanted Ryan—I gave him to you. So why did you have to hurt Lily?"

Crystal's icy smile widened. "You gave him to me? Don't flatter yourself. Ryan would carve out his own heart if I asked." She examined her manicured nails. "As for your daughter…" She shrugged. "I just didn't like looking at the bastard child he had with someone else."

Didn't like looking at her?

A surge of long-dormant fury ignited in Joanna's chest, flooding her with strength.

In a flash, she lunged at Crystal, hands clamping around her throat.

"You bitch," Joanna snarled. "Pay for my daughter's life with yours!"

"Joanna, have you lost your mind? Let her go!"

A pair of powerful hands wrenched Joanna away, throwing her to the ground. Ryan's bodyguard.

Ryan himself was already at Crystal's side, tenderly inspecting the marks on her neck. Crystal coughed delicately, tears welling in her eyes.

"Ryan, I just wanted to keep Joanna company," she whispered. "I was worried she'd get lonely cooped up in here. But she—"

The unspoken accusation hung in the air, giving Ryan all the room he needed to assume the worst.

His dark eyes burned with fury as he turned on Joanna. "You have everything," he hissed. "Why can't you just leave Crystal alone? Why can't you behave for once?"

Joanna lay on the floor, laughing hysterically.

"Everything?" she choked out. "An empty house? A husband who's never home, whose heart belongs to someone else?" Her voice cracked. "Or the ashes of the two people who loved me most—mixed into the dirt!"

For a fleeting second, Ryan faltered. He rubbed his temples, exhaling sharply before speaking again, softer this time.

"Joanna, I've told you a thousand times. Crystal saved my life. I owe her." His tone hardened. "And as for Grandma and Lily—stop lying. Crystal arranged for their care. She did more for them than you ever did."

Exhaustion crashed over Joanna.

What was the point of arguing?

Ryan could easily uncover the truth about Grandma and Lily's deaths if he bothered to investigate. The house was full of surveillance—he could see exactly how Crystal provoked her, framed her.

But he never would.

He would always, always choose Crystal.

She had been a fool.

Her love, her very existence—none of it had ever mattered to Ryan Bennett.