Chapter 2

Andrew turned to face me.

A strange, unreadable expression crossed his features in that fleeting moment. No flush of anger came from his exposed lies. No trace of guilt or panic lingered in his eyes. Only quiet release settled over his features along with faint lingering irritation.

He looked exactly like a performer who had finally laid aside their false persona.

"You know the full truth now." He settled into the chair beside my bed and crossed one leg over the other.

His relaxed posture mirrored the easy confidence he carried while sitting behind his office desk. "We can drop all pretense and speak plainly."

A faint, subtle lift tugged at the corner of his mouth. The faint curve held no warmth or kindness. "You owe me gratitude, Charlotte."

I met his gaze and stayed silent. Speech sat far beyond my reach. My vocal cords felt brittle and ruined beyond repair. Any strain to form sound would leave them broken and raw.

"You would never have reached this height in your career without my influence and support," he spoke in a measured, detached tone. His manner mirrored someone reviewing a completed business deal.

"When your father entrusted you to my care in your younger years," he continued, "you were nothing more than an untrained music student with no professional industry experience.

"I brought you under a professional contract. I built your career from the ground up. I welcomed you into my family's estate and granted you access to elite industry connections. I placed you on the grandest performance stages in the nation."

He paused and waited for some kind of response. But I remained motionless on the hospital bed. My body and spirit felt empty and hollow, much like a worn puppet stripped of all life and substance.

"Over these past five years, you have released four albums and headlined six major concert runs.

"You have also earned two prestigious music industry trophies." He listed every milestone of my career in a cold tone, much like an executive reviewing annual company earnings. "You once lived with no family and relied on others for shelter.

"Now the entire industry knows your name as a top music icon. You stand as the leading face of Starlight Entertainment and carry the title of my wife. Do you truly believe you reached those heights on your own merit?"

I held my tongue.

A broader smile spread across his lips to reveal a neat set of white teeth.

His refined and gracious expression mirrored the poised demeanor he always displayed as Starlight Entertainment's young executive during public events and press gatherings.

"Your voice is good, and I won't deny that," he went on. "The entertainment world overflows with gifted vocalists, though.

"Countless artists possess stronger singing skill sets than you do. Industry success never falls to talent alone. My influence guided your rise to fame.

"I poured funding and exclusive opportunities into your career to elevate your public standing. I have the power to build your reputation, and I can also..."

That unfinished implication lingered heavy in the air as a sharp and threatening weight above me.

"You could also destroy me, right?" I breathed out in a frail, quiet tone to complete his words.

"I didn't destroy you." He furrowed his brows and rejected my wording with clear displeasure. "I just put your life on a better path, one that won't burn you out.

"You've always been too driven, pushing yourself way too hard. That nonstop grind would've ruined your voice eventually. I only made it happen sooner. And let's not forget..."

He paused, his tone laced with condescending sympathy as he added, "Even without your singing voice, you're still my wife, still a big part of Starlight Entertainment.

"Tons of people would kill for the life you have now. You get to live comfortably with no more grueling tours, late nights in the studio, or back-to-back media gigs. This calm, easy life is way better than your old one."

He came over to the bed and stared down at me. Then he reached out and tucked the blanket around me softly. The gentle act felt cold and condescending, the same way someone would quiet a cranky child.

"Charlotte, be rational. I'll take good care of you for the rest of your life," he said. "Live a calm and quiet life as my wife, and let me take charge of everything."

I stared at his face, inches away from mine. He cut a handsome and polished figure with a flawless look that most women would long for in a partner. Yet all I felt in that moment was sharp revulsion.

"What about Evelyn?" I asked.

That single name pierced straight through Andrew's carefully crafted outer calm. His pupils narrowed and the easy smile on his face turned stiff and cold.

"When will she come back?" I pressed.

"Charlotte, stop acting out." His tone turned sharp and distant. "Evelyn is your cousin and a signed talent under our label. Her work with the company holds no connection to your current health state."

"She is coming back to take my place, right?"

"Take your place?" Andrew let out a low, quiet laugh as if my words sounded ridiculous. "You let your worries get the better of you. Evelyn and you stand separate from one another. You will always be my wife, and that fact will never shift."

There was a condescending edge in how he said those words. He acted like calling me his wife was some huge favor I ought to thank him for.

I shifted focus and posed a new question. "What about my father? What promises did you make to him?"

A faint crack showed across Andrew's unshaken expression at last.

"Mr. Summers..." He chose each word slowly and carefully. "He hoped you would gain steady and secure stability in life. I delivered on that wish entirely."

"He asked you to watch over me," I said.

"I am watching over you." No emotion colored his voice at all. "You stay in a private luxury hospital suite that cost about seven thousand per day, with top-tier care around the clock.

"Your personal caregiver ranks among the most skilled staff in this medical center. I cover every medical expense without hesitation. So tell me, haven't I been good to you?"

He spoke with such believable sincerity as he pressed that question. I would have fallen for his gentle act and felt deep shame for my doubts if I hadn't heard every cold word he spoke outside this room.

But I caught every phrase he spoke out loud. He said a voice in exchange for room and board at Starlight Entertainment for the rest of my life was more than I deserved.

His words held no love and no remorse. He showed me no basic human decency either.

I only heard the pride of a person handing out charity and the empty detachment of a businessman who had finished a cold, calculated deal.