The next day, Reina woke up to the dull ache that throbbed through her body, a reminder of her recent punishment. The mattress beneath her was lumpy and uncomfortable, but it stepped up from the cold, hard ground she had expected to sleep on.

As she gingerly sat up, she reminded herself that the discomfort was temporary. Her mind was fixated on the plan to separate Evelyn from Antonio. To Reina, it was a flawless scheme that didn’t involve any bloodshed.

Reina slowly made her way to the dining room, each step sending jolts of pain through her bruised body. She found Charles hunched over his phone, engrossed in what...