Chapter 4The Woman They Could Never Replace

William moved into the basement apartment to punish himself, while Gabriel left home and stayed away.

Gabriel had once been the golden boy of the Zeller family. After that, he stopped caring about the business and quit attending social events.

Before he left, his last words to me were, "Noelle, I'll make you pay for this. I'll send you to join Rachel."

The maids and drivers must have caught wind of what happened. They started giving me strange looks, and their attitude toward me wasn't exactly friendly either.

I had already told Gina that I was allergic to shellfish. When she served lobster bisque for the third time, I finally had enough and told her to pack her things and leave.

Gina's eyes reddened as she said through tears, "Ms. Zeller, why do you have to act like you're better than everyone else? People make mistakes. You're taking away my job! It's already hard enough for people like us to get by.

"Ms. Gilliam would never treat me like this. She used to cook with me in the kitchen, and she'd even let me borrow her clothes. No wonder Mr. Lloyd and Mr. Zeller don't like you."

I was done listening to Gina's pointless accusations and was about to give her a final warning when William came home.

It was our first wedding anniversary. It was also the first anniversary of Rachel's death. He had already told me he planned to come back and pay his respects to her, just to get under my skin.

Without even asking what had happened, William sneered, "Throwing your weight around again, Ms. Zeller? I was wrong. Rachel was nothing like you. She was kind and easy to be around, while you've always acted like you're above everyone else.

"Gabriel and I spoiled you rotten for over 20 years. We let you think you could do whatever you wanted and look down on everyone else. Why did Rachel have to die? Why wasn't it you?"

I looked at William, and suddenly he seemed like a stranger.

At six, he told me he would protect me forever. At 16, he chased away every boy who tried to get close to me. At 20, he swore he would never marry anyone but me.

And now, at 29, he was asking why I wasn't the one who died.

It felt like those memories belonged to another lifetime.

William stared at the lobster bisque on the table and went still for a moment.

He murmured, "Rachel loved lobster bisque, but I never let her eat it. One night, she snuck out to get some and ran into some creeps. I even yelled at her afterward."

His voice caught. "Come on, Noelle. Please. Just have one bite, okay?"

It was the first time William had begged me for anything since we got married. It was all because he wanted me to eat something I was severely allergic to just to satisfy his ridiculous fantasy.

I scoffed. "No."

He sighed softly. "You don't get a choice. Just one bite. I'll call my doctor. You'll be fine."

His grip on my jaw was frighteningly strong, and the rich, buttery flavor of the lobster bisque filled my mouth.

Right before I blacked out, Gabriel pushed the door open and pulled me into his arms, just like he had countless times when we were kids. But what he said next chilled me to the bone.

He shot William a glare. "Were you really going to kill her like this? That would be letting her off way too easy."

Then he looked at me. "Noelle, I'm not here to save you. I'm here to send you to hell. I found a witness who can testify that you caused Rachel's death. You're going to pay for her death with your life."

The whole situation suddenly felt so absurd that I started laughing, my shoulders shaking.

When I finally stopped, I asked, "How exactly are you going to charge me with murder when the person I supposedly killed is still alive?"