nter. It was a text from Sloane B

waiting d

lid her swollen right foot into a soft, flat loafer. She

walked out the glass doors and climbed in

e heavy vehicle finally pulled up to th

ted her teeth against the sharp pain in her ankl

ral nursing station, she h

ganizing a stack of charts. "Her vitals are perfectly norma

She filed that piece of in

rse's eyes widened. She quickly turned h

ed the heavy, soundproof door o

of fluffy pillows. She was casually popping

ne, the frail, sickly act vanished. A wicke

hem of her hospital gown. She exposed a th

ed. "As long as this scar exists, Du

"You are a pathetic, D-list actress wh

tabel's face. Her eyes t

f Duke's voice echoed. He was talking to the attend

eached over to the bedside table and grabbed a

Christabel dragged the sharp b

tly welled up and dripped down her pale

uth and let out a high-p

o the linoleum floor. It clattered to

st open. Duke rushed into t

g the sheets. Then, his gaze dropped

. He charged toward the hospital bed li

calculated strike, but the sheer, reckless momentum of his large frame was enough. Camelia's bad

e bedside table. A sickening thud echoed in the room. A choked

ard against Christabel's bleeding arm. He w

ng mind? !" Duke roared, h

eper into her heart. It wasn't a new revelation, just a harsh reminder of her current reality. To him, sh