Chapter 2

Melina was in the alley, recognized me, and called out with a smile, "Ms. Gardner, you're back early today."

Her eyes kept flicking over Jaxton, sizing him up.

Before I could react, he suddenly grabbed my arm. "You changed your last name?"

His grip pressed down hard on the old injury on my arm, making me wince in pain, but Jaxton didn't bat an eye.

He pressed in closer. "Who said you could change your last name?"

"What's your problem? Let Ms. Gardner go," Melina shouted.

When Jaxton shoved Melina aside, I completely lost it. "Why does it matter to you if I changed my name?"

I fought to break free, my voice raw and desperate as I yelled, "You've seen how I'm living now. Stop coming after me. I'm begging you. Can't you let me be?"

Jaxton's hand froze mid-air, his voice icy. "Fine, guess all these years I've been raising an ungrateful brat."

It wasn't until the sound of his leather shoes faded away at the end of the alley that I finally relaxed and hurried to help Melina. "Melina, are you okay? I'm so sorry."

"I'm fine," Melina said, giving my shoulder a reassuring pat.

She could see how distressed I was, but didn't ask any questions. She said, "Take care of yourself."

After shutting the door behind me, I flopped onto the old couch, my body shaking uncontrollably. Memories and those harsh words from those hellish days washed over me like a tidal wave.

"Seriously, you killed someone on stage? Letting you drink rotten water is being generous."

"Go on, get down on all fours and give us a couple of barks like a dog. Maybe then we'll believe you didn't kill anyone."

"So what even if you're some spoiled princess from the entertainment world? Why doesn't CEO uncle come bail you out?"

Getting roughed up and humiliated in the basement had become my everyday reality.

They made me lick scraps off the floor, and then forced me to sing. My singing wasn't good enough, so they forced scalding water down my throat, wrecking my voice for good.

Later, I started coughing up blood all the time, crying and begging his assistant, Charles, to help me get one chance to see Uncle Jaxton.

At first, Jaxton would come down to the basement to check on me, but before long, he started saying I was pretending to be sick and lying for pity.

Eventually, he stopped showing up altogether and had Charles relay a message. "Mr. Nunez is tied up at the company. He wanted me to tell you that when you stop pretending to be sick for pity, he'll come see you."

On the day my contract ended, I instinctively raised my hand to shield my eyes from the blinding flash of the cameras, and then slipped away from Metrovale secretly.

I didn't bother seeing a doctor. I figured if I could make it through one more day, that was enough.

I'd finally gotten used to the quiet life here, so why did Jaxton have to show up and mess everything up again?

I spent the whole night wide awake, numb, waiting for dawn. When the sun finally came up, I grabbed my umbrella and slowly walked to the memorial wall by the sea.

After I handed in my resignation, I sat there on a bench by the water, feeling nothing. The diagnosis in my pocket was so crumpled from my grip that it looked like trash.

Three weeks ago, I collapsed at the record shop. When I came to, Melina was holding me, crying her eyes out. That was when I learned I had only three weeks left.

Now the rain was pouring down, and the diagnosis in my pocket was nearly falling apart from how hard I was squeezing it.

Suddenly, a rough, callused hand seized my wrist and jerked me upright from the bench.

The man's voice was cold as ice. "Jaxton told me you were holed up here, but I didn't believe it at first.

"You disappeared without a word, hiding out like this. Does our engagement mean nothing to you?"

I looked up, locking eyes with Kolson. His gaze was unreadable. "Don't you think you're being selfish?" he asked.

Funny, isn't it? The night before my new release, he and Veronica were busy messing up my sheets. Did it ever cross his mind how selfish that was?'

I glanced at the bracelet on his wrist. It was the same couple's bracelet that Veronica wore.

With the four years I spent taking the blame for her, they'd been having their affair for six years now.

My throat churned violently. I shoved him away and lunged toward the trash can, hacking up coughs like I was about to collapse.

Kolson's brow furrowed, and he immediately stepped forward, gently patting my back.

I jerked away from his touch, glaring at him in disgust. He froze, and then suddenly blurted out, "So, whose baby are you carrying? Some guy you picked up?"

Not giving me a chance to respond, he pressed on, "Is it that guy named Caine?"

My hand flew up and slapped him hard. "Kolson, you're absolutely disgusting."