When the rescue team finally dug him out, his right arm was shattered, nearly beyond repair. As they wheeled him into the operati-
ng room, he had gritted his teeth against the pain and forced a smile to comfort me.
“Don’t cry, Rose. This is nothing.”
A storm of emotions crashed within my chest.
Clenching my jaw, I released my grip on the knife. My
woice was
ice as I bit out each word.
“Take that idiot and get the hell out of my sight!”
The next second, a blinding agony ripped through my skull, making it hard to breathe. I was going mad with pain, the only relief
coming from slamming my head against the wall again and again.
Adrian had just scooped Penny into his arms when he turned and saw me on the floor, clawing at my own hair and writhing.
He froze for a moment, then let out a cold, derisive laugh.
“If you’re going to put on an act, at least make it convincing. I nicked your neck, not your head.”
He walked over and kicked me, his voice laced with contempt.
“As for today… if you apologize to Penny, I can pretend none of this ever happened.”
I turned my head and, with a bitter smile, sank my teeth into his leg.
He let out a muffled grunt of pain, his face instantly darkening.
Meeting his furious glare, I raised a single middle finger.
“Me, apologize to her?”
“In your next life.”
Adrian’s chest heaved with rage. His final words were a chilling promise.
“You chose this
“Just you wait.”
The pain kept me awake all night. As dawn painted the sky in pale shades of gray, a wave of exhaustion finally washed over me.
But before I could drift off, bodyguards were dragging me out of bed.
14.43
Chapter 1
Downstairs, I saw that the city’s elite, a who’s who of high society, had been invited to our home.
In front of them all, I was thrown onto the doorstep like a piece of trash.
A pair of expensive leather shoes entered my line of sight.
Adrian’s cold voice drifted down.
“You’ll have to understand. I’m throwing a birthday party for Penny, and our guests are… distinguished. The last thing we need is a
criminal under this roof.”
I fought to swallow the blood rising in my throat and looked up at him with a sneer.
“Your methods are getting more childish by the day.”
Adrian lit a cigarette, his gaze chillingly cold. He wasn’t looking at his sister; he was looking at an enemy.
He blew out a perfect ring of smoke.
“My offer still stands. Apologize to her, and this
I stretched my lips into a silent, mocking grin. My
goes away.”
answer was clear.
He let out a sharp, humorless laugh and walked away.
But just moments after he left, a commotion erupted from inside. Faintly, I heard my own name being spoken.
A sudden, sharp sense of dread coiled in my stomach.
I pushed my way through the crowd and saw
-a
massive screen at the front of the room, cycling through a series of photographs.
When I saw what they were, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. The cold spread from my limbs stra-
ight to my heart.
My hands clenched into fists, my nails digging so deep into my palms that they drew blood.
They were photos taken during my time in prison. Photos of my humiliation.
The darkest, most brutal moments of my life.
Those agonizing memories mixed with the sneers and whispers of the crowd, drilling into my mind.
“Look at Rosalie on her knees, begging like a dog. Who knew the madwoman had a breaking point?”
“I wonder if I could use these pics to get her into bed. Think she’d say yes?”
“Forget it. Who’d want a woman who’s been to prison, anyway?”
I bit my lip so hard I could taste blood. Spotting Adrian in the crowd, I lunged forward, grabbed him by the collar, and threw a punch
with all my remaining strength.
But it was a pathetic attempt, Ravaged by illness, my fist landed on him with all the force of a gentle tap.
For the first time, Adrian looked genuinely confused. He grabbed my wrists and pulled me off him, his face flushed with anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you? I didn’t put those photos up there!”
Nearby, I caught the flash of triumph in Penny’s eyes.
A cold laugh escaped me “Penny. Looks like yesterday’s lesson didn’t stick, did it?”
Penny immediately switched to her damsel–in–distress act, clutching at Adrian’s sleeve.
Chapter 1
1443
“Adrian, it wasn’t me,” she whimpered. “Why does your sister always misunderstand me? Does she hate me that much?”
Adrian instantly moved to shield her.
The absurdity of it all made me laugh.
“Adrian, how can you be so stupid?” I spat. “Besides you, she’s the only one who knows about my time in prison. Who else could
have leaked those photos?”
His voice was cold, certain.
“It wasn’t Penny. She’s too timid. She wouldn’t dare.”
I was done talking. I grabbed a nearby wine bottle and charged at Penny.
But before I could reach her, Adrian’s bodyguards grabbed me by the hair and started dragging me out. The mocking, disdainful stares of the crowd felt like a thousand tiny needles piercing my heart.
The rage and humiliation overwhelmed me. My vision went black, and I coughed up a mouthful of dark, thick blood.
As my body went limp and I fell to the ground, the last thing I heard was a desperate, horrified shout.
