2
When the rescue team finally lifted my broken, bloody body from the ruins, Julian was still there, watching from the sidelines with a cold, mocking smile.
“Bravo,” he drawled. “The performance just keeps getting better. I see you’re using my family’s money or special effects makeup now. So realistic.”
The pain was a thick fog, blurring the edges of my consciousness. My vision swam with black spots.
My silence only seemed to infuriate him. He strode forward and kicked the side of the stretcher.
“Addicted to the act, are you? It’s a damn shame you’re not an actress, Rosalie. Such a waste of talent.”
The jolt sent a wave of nausea through me. I could almost hear the grinding of my fragmented bones. It was all I could do not to pass out.
The rescue team rushed to intercept him.
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Chapter 1
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“What’s your problem?” Julian snarled, shoving back against them. “You’d rather waste your resources on fraud than on people who actually need help? What unit are you with? I’m filing a complaint!”
One of the rescuers, his face red with anger, got right in Julian’s face. “Sir, back the hell off and let us do ou job! And if you can’t tell a real injury from a fake one, I suggest you go get your eyes checked!”
The insult lit a fuse in Julian. With a roar of fury, he kicked the stretcher again, this time with enough force t
flip it completely.
“So that’s your game, Rosalie! You’ve hired accomplices now! You think this will make me look at you? That will earn you an ounce more of my affection than Sybil gets? Dream on!”
I hit the rough ground hard. The impact stole my breath, the pain so absolute it was suffocating.
But the agony in my body was nothing compared to the shattering of my heart.
My own injuries didn’t matter. But my baby… my baby never even got the chance to see the sky.
He was only mine for four weeks…
Despair, cold and vast, washed over me. My heart felt like it was being physically torn in two.
But some primal instinct took over, and I began to crawl, inch by painful inch, away from him.
never want to see you again, Julian. I will never love you again…
The rescue team was practically brawling with him now, trying to keep him away from me.
Sybil, of course, chose that moment to start her own performance, crying hysterically. “Stop it! Please, sto fighting!”
She tugged on Julian’s sleeve, her expression a perfect blend of vulnerability and anguish. “Julian, darling, it all my fault. Please don’t blame Rosalie. I… I don’t have her talent for theatrics. It’s my fault everyone look down on me. I’ll… I’ll even forgive her for pushing me. Just please, make them stop!”
Julian’s expression softened instantly. He sighed, stroking her hair. “You’re just too kind, Sybil. That’s why sh s always been able to bully you. You’re the most important person in my world. Who the hell does Rosali Thorne think she is, hurting you like this?” He turned his furious gaze back to me. “Don’t you worry. This time I won’t let her get away with it.”
He shoved the rescuer aside. “Today, I’m going to show all of you just how far she’ll go for a scrap of my
attention!”
He grabbed me by my hair, dragging my broken body across the rubble-strewn ground.
I was barely conscious, a thin, keening sound escaping my lips, a horrifying trail of blood marking my path.
But all I got in return was Julian’s scornful laugh.
“Such a dedicated performance, Rosalie. You’re really determined to humiliate me in front of all these peop-
Chapter 1
- I gave you a chance. You should have taken it.”
He kicked me again, sending me sprawling, then strode toward me.
“Today, I’m going to prove to everyone whether you’re really hurt, or just putting on a show!”
