Rising From Ashes: The Swapped Heiress

digging so hard into the matted fur of Leo's teddy bear that her knuckles turned a translucent white. Her chest heaved, pulling in shallow, jagge

he deadbolt splintered against the frame, sending a s

pped through the room, stealing the

dark eyes, the ones that used to look at her with something resembling war

crisp white papers, and slammed them onto the scratched surface of

from behind Preston

Resting against the flawless, spray-tanned skin was a teardrop diamond necklace.

ghtly tracing the edge of the diamond. He

oria said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetn

the sternum. Her lungs seized. The edges of

voice was a low, mechanical drone. "You get not

h a scream she refused to let out. She dropped the teddy

them straight down the middle. The sound of ripping paper was loud, violent, and

ed a dark, ugly purp

to the side. A sharp, metallic taste flooded her mouth. The skin of her cheek burned, th

her from the end table. She didn't hesitate.

orboards. Shards exploded outward, slicin

ing up defensively. The sheer, unhinged

vocal cords raw. She pointed a trembling finger a

ed gasp, shrinking back and

pered, her eyes wide with feigned ter

let Gloria pull him out into the hallway. The heavy door slammed shut

gh wood scraping her bare legs. She wrapped her arms around h

cking tapped against

ched. She thought

cing her trembling legs to push her upright.

the hallway. Her

smell of the cold hallway. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in

bag onto the sofa. "You should have signed the papers.

f Haven's neck. The way Jerilyn spok

ered, her vocal cords t

like acid burning

opping to a deadly calm. She shoved

en, feral malice. Her hand plunged

under the dim

k deep into H

that sucked the oxygen straight out of the room. Haven's mouth opened in a silent sc

ackward, hittin

aned in close, her breath smellin

harsh whisper against Haven's ear. "I swapped you in that hospital. Gl

ock of the words hit harder th

e knife out and d

ng cold. The darkness rushed in, swallowing the room, swallowing the face of the wo

al ringing sound sha

te light hit H

lently as she sucked in a massive b

. The smell of No. 2 pencils and floor wax filled her nose. The sharp