The Broken Mother's Ruthless Revenge

iber of the death certificate. Her knuckles turned white. She pressed harder, dragging the line at the end of her signature

n-Stevenson

ater. She extended it toward Beverley, h

n the harsh fluorescent light above the operating room doors at th

ialed Ellwood's number seventeen times. The m

ve reached is curr

, the contact photo showing Ellwood in a tuxedo, looking

skull. "Complications. I'm so s

The words bounced around her head, colliding

else. She walked past the nurse, leaving the water untouch

The wind whipped down the streets, but she couldn't feel

feet carried her west, toward the water. The sounds of the city-the honkin

am

n her chest. She turned around, scanning the sidewalk. A woman w

was

k, churning against the pier. She gripped the metal bar, the cold

, a

from a barge on the river. It exploded,

d. She looked up

n. Then purple. The night sky over Manhattan lit up like noon. The

fused. Firework

nd. She looked down. A tex

okay? Don't lo

e news. The words were a trigger. She close

d. The headline screamed a

dson River Fireworks Show to Celebrate Rya

his arms. Beside him, a woman with perfect blonde hair and a radiant smile. Kaleigh

d her body vanished, replaced by a heat that burned

week. "Mom, Ryan is sick. He needs a sp

cial

t her eye. A gossip column. "Seven Years Ago: Stevenson Heir's Mysterious Bog

h heaved. A dry, painful retch wracked her b

ony of using their last vial of purified water to clean the gash on Ellwood's leg, knowing it was his only chance to stave off infection. The memory of fo

a god she didn't believe in, beggin

ne that. N

other woman's child while their ow

he sky. The fireworks continued to bloom,

for the number of the event company that handled the Stevenson family's pub

alski sp

was hoarse, stripped raw. "The firework

don't usual

im off. "My husband's name is on the

by a Ms. Evelyn Reed. Paid in full. It was schedule

Beverley clo

needed a physical. A routine check-up.

had booked a fireworks show to

le formed a picture so horrific it made her head spin. Aiden's surger

ace, something else took root. It was cold. It was sha

ures of Ellwood. Their wedding. Th

. Her thumb hovered over the delete but

otos v

The smoke drifted over the city like a shroud. Her eyes,

alked away from the water. She wasn't