Chapter 4

Julian's pupils contracted.

Chloe's tears fell faster. "Mia, even if you refuse to save me, you don't have to humiliate Julian like this..."

"Refusing to sacrifice my life is humiliating him?"

I scoffed. "Chloe, your greed is repulsive."

Her face went pale.

I stepped forward. "You used your illness to move into my home, take my bedroom, wear my custom gowns, steal my mother's jewelry sketches, and now you want my bone marrow."

"Are you actually sick, or are you just addicted to stealing my life?"

Chloe's eyelashes fluttered frantically.

"I didn't... I swear I didn't..."

Julian stepped in front of her wheelchair, shielding her. "Mia, that is enough!"

Looking at him, my heart felt eerily still.

Maybe when a heart truly dies, there are no dramatic screams or endless tears. It simply collapses quietly, turning into a barren wasteland.

Julian studied my expression for a few seconds, then forcibly softened his tone. "Enough, Mia. Come home with me."

I took a step back, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Adrian.

Julian's expression darkened. "You would rather trust the man who killed your mother than trust me?"

I looked him dead in the eye. "Julian, did Adrian really kill my mother?"

A flash of pure panic darted across Julian's eyes.

Suddenly, Chloe erupted into violent, breathless coughing.

Julian immediately spun around to support her, looking back at me with utter disappointment. "Mia, you used to be so kind."

I enunciated every single syllable: "I used to be stupid."

He stared at me, stunned.

I pulled a folded document from my bag and dropped it right at his feet. "Take your little mistress and get the hell out of here."

A sinister glint flickered across Julian's face. "You will regret this!"

Once the heavy front doors slammed shut behind them, all the adrenaline drained from my body. My knees gave out, and I stumbled backward.

Adrian caught me instantly, wrapping his arm around my waist. "Mia."

His throat bobbed, his voice tight. "Are you certain... you won't marry him?"

My eyes burned with fierce resolve. "Certain."

A ghost of a smile seemed to pass through Adrian's eyes. "Good. I need to make a few arrangements."

I wanted to ask what he meant, but he said gently, "It's late. Go get some rest."

I nodded.

Adrian stepped out into the night.

At 3:00 AM, the sound of an engine rumbled outside the villa.

I thought Adrian had returned, but the doorbell rang.

On the security monitor, Julian's private physician stood on the porch.

"Miss Thorne, Mr. Hayes is worried about your mental state. He asked us to escort you to the hospital for an evaluation."

A wave of dread washed over me. I quietly pressed record on my phone. "I didn't schedule any appointment."

The doctor replied without blinking, "Mr. Hayes is doing this for your own good."

I smiled bitterly.

"For my good, or for Chloe's?"

The doctor's expression shifted.

In the very next second, the power cut completely. The house plunged into pitch darkness.

A sharp click sounded as the electronic lock was bypassed from the outside. Several men in black burst through the doors.

I turned and bolted toward the back stairs.

The butler tried to intervene, but was instantly overpowered.

Heavy footsteps closed in. Rough hands shoved me violently to the floor.

My knees slammed into the hardwood, and pain flared behind my eyes.

A damp cloth smelling sharply of chemicals was pressed over my nose and mouth.

I fought with everything I had, kicking and thrashing, but darkness dragged me under as I was hauled toward a waiting private ambulance.

Right before consciousness slipped away, I heard a cold voice mutter: "Hurry up. Miss Bennett won't last until dawn."

When I woke up, I was lying under the blinding white lights of an operating room. Heavy leather straps bound my wrists and ankles to the metal table.

A surgical team in masks was prepping the anesthesia.

On the bed next to mine, separated by a glass partition, lay Chloe. She was pale, but her eyes gleamed with triumphant malice.

Julian stood beside her, his eyes bloodshot.

My voice came out raw and raspy. "Julian Hayes, you make me sick."

He flinched, looking away. "Mia, I have no choice..."

"So you had me kidnapped?!"

He squeezed his eyes shut in agony. "Chloe will die."

"And what about me?" I whispered.

He stayed silent.

Chloe spoke softly from her bed. "Mia, once I survive, I promise I'll stay by Julian's side and take great care of him for you."

The anesthesiologist approached my bed with a large syringe.

I pulled against the leather restraints with all my strength. "Julian, if you touch me today, I will haunt you from my grave!"

A flicker of torment crossed his face, but he turned his head away.

"Start the procedure."

As the cold needle touched my skin, pure despair swallowed me whole.

BAM!

The heavy metal doors of the operating room were kicked off their hinges with a deafening crash.

Adrian stood in the shattered doorway. His face was terrifyingly pale, his eyes burning with murderous fury.

"Julian Hayes..."

"You're a dead man."