Chapter 4

I’d always known Ethan’s moods could turn without warning.

What I hadn’t expected was for him to force me to stay, claiming I needed to prepare properly for surgery.

Resisting got me nowhere.

I was underweight, so every day I was made to eat specially planned meals.

When Claire showed up at the Hayes estate unexpectedly, I was secretly throwing up in the bathroom.

She rushed over and glared at me.

“You! Why are you throwing up?!”

I trembled and curled in on myself in fear.

At some point, it was as if every bit of courage had been scared out of me.

Even a glance from someone could terrify me.

Sometimes I’d have nightmares that same night, filled with staring eyes.

The most intense pair belonged to Claire, bright with excitement on the day she threw acid on me.

My mind worked slowly. It took me a while to realize she thought I was pregnant.

She realized her mistake too, and her expression instantly shifted into a superior smile.

“Oh, silly me. I forgot you just got out of prison, Emily. I got a little carried away. Don’t hold it against me.”

“But you saw the photos I sent, didn’t you?”

She leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“Ethan is mine. You wouldn’t want the other half of your face ruined too, would you?”

I shrank back and opened my mouth to promise her whatever she wanted. Instead, nausea surged through me, and I threw up all over her.

She screamed at once, tears filling her eyes.

“Emily, I know you think I’m disgusting. I know you don’t want me here. I’ll leave!”

“You don’t have to put on this act to make me look bad!”

I froze in confusion. Then I saw Ethan walk in, and everything made sense.

He frowned and pulled Claire away from me.

Again.

With Claire around, I never stood a chance.

Ten years ago, my family had fallen apart. Overnight, I’d gone from the daughter of the city’s richest man, someone everyone wanted to please, to a burden no one wanted. All I had left was an enormous debt.

Ethan had been the first to step forward. He paid off what I owed and pulled me out of the darkness.

Only later did I learn that Claire had been trying to break up with him at the time. He’d felt a flicker of pity because I looked like her. Helping me had been nothing more than a casual act of charity.

But I’d been foolish enough to fall headfirst in love with him.

All Claire had to do was say I’d stolen her necklace, and he believed her. He’d questioned me harshly in front of everyone, grinding my dignity into the floor.

The necklace was a fake. He hadn’t even bothered to check the security footage.

I’d desperately tried to explain that Claire was framing me. He’d looked at me just like this, one arm around her, his face indifferent.

“Since when does a pet dog get to bite its owner?”

How could he not see through acting that bad?

He was simply choosing to back her up.

Fingers clamped around my chin. The pain pulled me back to the present.

I lowered my eyes and gave him a pleading smile.

“I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

In prison, apologizing quickly meant fewer beatings.

He froze. Then his face darkened, clearly unhappy with my answer.

Suddenly, Claire smiled and raised her arm.

“Ethan, I forgot to tell you. I really love the birthday present you gave me.”

She made a point of adding that she meant her last birthday.

The very day I’d been doused in acid.

How ridiculous. While a group of people pinned me to a wall and I screamed myself hoarse, they’d all been singing, dancing, and celebrating.

I looked up and saw a translucent jade bracelet.

The instant I recognized it, every drop of blood in my body seemed to freeze.

I stared at Ethan in disbelief. My face went white, and my voice shook uncontrollably.

“How could you give her that bracelet?!”

“Don’t you know what it means to me?! It’s the only thing I have left from my parents!”