nt to destroy me.

so absolute, it felt like the truth. The world tilt

he way his hand, the one that had just struck me, was

as l

a terri

ak was still there, a dull, heavy ache in my chest,

he was trying to push m

h, nob

ady. I even managed a small, sad smile. "We

m the escape he was so desper

ait

was a chok

t didn' t t

with rage. She wasn' t satisfied with my defeat; she wanted my utter hu

black suits were blocking the exit. They moved with a p

of a smirk played on my li

," Ethan said, his vo

you protecting her, Ethan? After she came here to mak

es. It was raw and undeniable. He wa

ed. My heart settled, the ache repla

y the villain to save me? Fi

tone shifting to a smug, possessive purr. "He doesn' t

on back to me, her eye

ds closed in, forming a tight circle. "You' re going to stay right here

, my brother. He' s brought some friends from the capital. Very important people. Maybe after the party, I' ll

as vile and

Instead, I felt a surge of som

hreatening. She had no idea w

, his voice strained. He was trying to stop m

him a tiny, almost imperceptible

le on my face. "Introduce me to your

ce seemed to throw her o

' s not even scared. She' s probably just a gold-digger who' s mad her meal ticket is gone. Ethan' s proba

sult, was a gift. It confirmed e

diots were handing me the

ur way. Guards, take her to that corner over there. Make sure she

towards a dark corner of th

g my arms, and watched them. I was

ctly where I

s just gett

idea I was the o