Chapter 1
My boyfriend, James Carter, the movie star, handed me over to an investor just to save his First Love.
He even drugged me himself.
"Be good, just one night, and she'll be saved," he said.
"Don't you love me the most? Sacrifice for me just this once."
I was sent to a hotel room, and when I woke up, I found myself staring at the infamous tycoon behind him, the man everyone whispered about.
He pinched my chin. "So, how did last night feel? Ready to pay off his debt again?"
*****
I bolted out of the hotel, my bathrobe hanging open, the belt dangling loose.
The receptionist looked at me like I was some kind of garbage.
"Miss, you can't go out dressed like that." she said.
I shoved her aside and ran barefoot through the lobby.
Outside, the rain was coming down hard, the cold biting like a knife.
I flagged down a cab and blurted out the hospital's address.
The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, his lips curling in disdain. "What's going on with you?"
"Just drive!" I snapped.
I was shaking all over.
It wasn't the cold. It was pure hatred.
James, I want an explanation.
Why did you do this to me?
The cab pulled up to the hospital entrance, and I threw some cash at the driver before rushing inside.
The nurse at the registration desk blocked my way. "Miss, you can't go in like that."
"Get out of my way!"
I shook off her hand and headed straight for the inpatient ward.
Emily was in the ICU on the thirteenth floor.
I dashed up the stairs, leaving wet footprints behind me.
The hallway on the thirteenth floor was dead silent.
And there he was, James.
He was standing outside the room, holding a bouquet of white roses.
White roses were Emily's favorite.
He used to give me red roses.
He always said red roses were perfect for me.
I walked over and looked inside through the glass.
Emily was lying in the hospital bed, her face pale as a sheet.
James pushed the door open, sat down next to her, and took her hand.
He kept his head down, and his voice came through the crack in the door.
"Emily, please wake up," James murmured.
"Anything, just please wake up."
"Olivia loves me more than anyone. She'll understand."
"She'd do anything for our love."
My mind exploded.
What the hell does he mean by "our love"?
And what does he mean by "she'll sacrifice"? Is he talking about me?
I stormed into the room and grabbed James by the collar.
"James, explain yourself!" I shouted.
"What do you want me to sacrifice, huh?" Olivia demanded, her voice trembling with rage.
"You handed me over to that old man, let him do whatever he wanted to me, and you actually think I'd just accept it? Are you out of your mind?"
James was startled and jumped to his feet.
"Olivia, calm down!" he said.
"Calm down my ass!" I pointed right at his face. "You drugged me and threw me into that hotel room. Do you even have a clue what I went through?"
"I know," James said, his eyes full of impatience. "But I did it to save Emily."
"For her?" I shot back.
"Emily's surgery costs ten million dollars. I just don't have that kind of money," James said.
"Richard said he'd pay, but only if you spent the night with him," he added.
"Didn't you say you loved me?"
I froze, completely blindsided.
He really said it.
He honestly believed it was totally fine to just hand me over to another man.
"James, are you even human?" I yelled.
"I was trying to save her!" he shot back. "Emily's dying! Can't you see that?"
"And what about me?" My voice trembled. "I was drugged, assaulted. What am I to you?"
"Just suck it up. It's not like you're gonna die," he said coldly.
Smack!
I slapped him hard across the face.
James's head snapped to the side, the veins on his temple bulging with rage.
He backhanded me across the face.
I crashed into the wall, my head hitting the sharp corner.
Blood streamed down my hair.
"You're crazy!" James shouted, pointing at me. "Emily's still fighting for her life, and you're making a scene here?"
"Security! Security!" he yelled.
Two security guards rushed in and grabbed me, one on each side.
"Get this lunatic out of here!" James shouted.
"I'm not some lunatic! James, explain yourself!" I yelled.
"Get her out of here!" James barked.
The guards tried to drag me away, but I grabbed onto the doorframe, refusing to let go.
"James, you'll regret this!" I screamed.
"You'll regret this!" I kept shouting.
I was thrown out of the hospital.
The rain was still pouring down.
I dropped to my knees, soaked to the bone.
Blood from my head mixed with the rain, streaming into my eyes.
I couldn't see a thing.