Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was a fortune to a retired paramedic.

Thomas slowly reached out and took the envelope.

My stomach dropped, a sick feeling rising in my throat.

“Thomas,” I whispered under my breath, my eyes stinging.

Thomas opened the flap of the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper inside.

He looked at it for a long moment.

“This is a very large check, Margaret,” he said.

“It is a generous offer,” she said, her voice softening slightly, sensing victory. “It ensures everyone wins.”

“Except Emma,” Thomas said.

“Emma is an outsider,” Margaret said coldly. “She will survive. She always does.”

Thomas folded the check back up and slid it into the envelope.

Then, he let go of it.

He didn’t hand it back to her.

He simply opened his fingers and let the envelope fall.

It fluttered through the damp air and landed in a puddle of muddy water near Margaret’s feet.

The cream-colored paper immediately began to turn gray as it soaked up the water.

Margaret stared down at it, her face twisting in shock and rage.