Chapter 6

Time crawled by.

I watched people on the livestream—those same girls who'd just made things difficult for me, Megan, and Charles himself, all bustling about.

The scene was almost festive.

Charles stood surrounded by flowers, checking his phone or his watch on and off.

Occasionally, he would look up in a certain direction and mention Chloe.

My phone lay outside and rang a few times.

Then it died.

I drifted into sleep.

When I woke up, the phone screen showed 7 PM the next day.

The proposal was just getting started.

The venue was buzzing with excitement—everyone seemed overjoyed.

No one was more thrilled than Chloe—she was crying happy tears.

On the screen, I saw Charles' "affectionate" gaze.

Please.

The closet was already suffocating.

And now I had to watch this disgusting scene.

I bit back the urge to curse, just praying these two lunatics would finish this proposal right away.

Or some waiter would come into this room and find me.

However, I never got to see the proposal come to an end.

Before Charles got down on one knee, my vision blurred.

Then I passed out completely.

*****

Later, I woke up.

I felt like I could die of thirst.

So I sat up and gulped down two full glasses of water.

There was no one in the hospital room.

But voices came from outside.

I heard a talk in a low voice. "Things are under control now.

"They want to settle privately.

"We'll need to wait for Miss Chapman to wake up...

"Understood, Mr. Russell."

I set the glass back on the table with a soft clink.

And the voices outside cut off.

The door swung open.

My shoulders relaxed.

"Mr. Russell," I started.

Julian was dressed in a suit. He looked as if he'd just gotten out of a boardroom.

Our eyes met.

His handsome features had lost the warmth from our first meeting.

He seemed all serious now—a typical seasoned businessman with a commanding presence.

But so attractive.

Julian refilled my glass and talked to me.

His tone was casual. "The police have been notified. We have surveillance footage of everyone involved."

He set down the kettle. His gaze dropped to meet mine for a long moment.

Then he finally asked, "Your thoughts?"

I shook my head.

Julian frowned.

Then I cleared his doubt. "The footage alone isn't enough. We'll need Chloe's call logs, and Charles is involved, too."

The air seemed to still for a second.

Maybe I was imagining things.

Julian's frown eased slightly.

He turned away, pulled out his phone to send a message, then came back and took a seat beside me.

"I thought you might let it go."

"Why would I?"

I didn't understand why he'd think that.

"I was going to call the police myself before passing out."

Then it occurred to me.

"Mr. Russell, how did you find me? My parents..."

They were too old to handle such a shock.

Julian, thankfully, understood my concerns.

"Didn't you say you'd call me back?

"I called several times, but you never answered."

So he came looking for me here just because I didn't answer his calls?

But how did he know where I was?

"Yes, exactly as you are thinking."

Julian seemed to be able to read my mind.

"You're my fiancée. Your safety and everything about you are my responsibility."

An indirect attitude was normally adopted in business.

But here he was, putting all his cards on the table.

"Even if you refused to press charges, as your fiancé, I would.

"Or, when the words get out, it'll reflect poorly on my family."

His tone left no room for argument.

His gaze seemed to be telling me something.

Something about his being glad that we were on the same page.

I was momentarily at a loss for words.

But I was truly grateful.

Without him, who knew how much longer I'd have been trapped?

"So my parents..."

"Don't worry. I told them we were on a date."

"A... date?"

Julian met my gaze. "Any problem?"

"N-no, not at all."

He rescued me and likely dropped everything to come find me.

He even spared my parents' worry.

I'd go along with any excuse—even this "date" story.

I let out a sigh of relief.

But Julian seemed to be in a good mood.

And bored, even.

I only passed out from a lack of oxygen. An IV would do me good.

But he insisted I stay another night for more tests.

Then, he even started peeling an apple.

I'd never been used to someone being this close to take care of me.

I was particular about personal space.

Before now, other than my parents, only Charles was ever allowed this near.

But Julian knew how to keep the perfect distance.

He maintained about an arm's length from the bed.

The peel spiraled down in one unbroken, thin ribbon.

The hospital room was bathed in soft light, with sunlight slanting through the window.

Dust motes danced in the beams.

A man in his suit was fully focused on peeling an apple.

That was all I could see.

Suddenly, I heard the sharp sound of a fruit knife slicing through the apple.

The crisp fragrance of the apple.

The faint scent of tequila on Julian.

And the sterile tang of saline solution in the hospital room.

Strangely enough, this combination was not unpleasant.

I didn't mind it at all.

"Julian."

"Mm-hmm?"

"I accept your proposal.

"Let's get married."