Chapter 4
Rose left. She slid into the car, hit the gas, and drove away without a second thought.
The black Bentley Continental cruised smoothly down the road.
Rose glanced at the plane ticket she'd bought on her phone, then at the soaked necklace lying on the passenger seat. She finally felt like she could breathe again.
But before long, she sensed something was wrong.
There was a downhill stretch ahead. She tapped the brake, but the pedal was stiff as a board. It wouldn't go down.
The moment that realization hit, Rose felt her heart lurch in her chest.
She dug her nails into her palm, making herself stay cool.
Out of nowhere, an old man appeared up ahead, stumbling as he tried to gather apples scattered across the road.
Rose lay on the horn, the urgent blaring startling the old man. He looked up, saw the car speeding straight at him, and froze in place, paralyzed with fear.
Panic completely took over Rose inside the car.
With around 11 yards between her and the old man, Rose clenched her jaw and jerked the wheel with all her strength.
The car spun out of control, barely avoiding the terrified old man before slamming hard into a speed bump.
The force of the crash snapped Rose's head back against the seat.
Glass exploded everywhere. She instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes, but as the world whirled around her, everything faded to black.
When Rose woke up again, she found herself in a hospital room.
The sharp scent of disinfectant burned her nose. She tried to push herself upright, but every inch of her body ached like she'd been hit by a truck.
The anesthesia hadn't fully worn off yet, and her hand trembled as she reached for the call button.
But a familiar male voice drifted in from outside the room. "Violet, about the brakes... You tampered with them, didn't you?"
Rose went rigid the moment she heard those words.
Through the crack in the door, she saw Violet fling herself into Nathan's arms, sobbing so hard she looked heartbreakingly fragile. "Nathan, I'm so sorry."
Her voice was barely more than a sob, so broken it was hard to make out the words. "I was so scared. I was terrified she'd come back and find out about us, and then you'd leave me all alone like James.
"Nathan, I swear I didn't mean to lose control. I couldn't stop myself."
Outside the door, Nathan stood silent for a long moment before finally reaching out and pulling her into his arms. "I'll handle everything else. Pretend this never happened."
Rose lay trembling in the hospital bed, clutching her chest as her blood ran cold. 'Nathan? How could he do this to me?'
He knew Violet had tampered with the brakes. She almost got Rose killed. But he swallowed her ridiculous excuse and chose to cover for her without hesitation.
Even though Rose had already lost all hope in him, she couldn't stop her eyes from burning with unshed tears.
She had no idea how much time had passed when she heard movement outside the door again. She kept her eyes closed, hoping whoever it was would leave.
"Rose, I know you're awake." Violet stepped inside, her tone calm and indifferent. "You heard everything, didn't you?"
Seeing Rose frown, Violet let out a low laugh, not bothering to hide her contempt. "Wow, you really must have nine lives, walking away from a wreck like that.
"But it's time you faced the truth. Nathan chose me. Rose, I won't let you ruin what we have..."
As soon as she finished, it was like something snapped inside Violet. She went completely berserk, lunging at Rose and wrapping her hands around her throat. "Rose, go to hell."
Everything happened so fast. Rose didn't have time to react before Violet suddenly grabbed her by the throat, choking her hard.
Her vision instantly went dark. She tried desperately to push Violet off, but she was still groggy from the anesthesia.
On the verge of suffocating, Rose saw the hospital room door fly open as Nathan stormed in, his expression grim and tense. "Violet, stop!"
At Nathan's shout, the grip on Rose's neck loosened, and she fell back onto the bed in a messy heap, desperately gulping for air.
She doubled over, her throat raw and burning, feeling like she might cough herself inside out.
"Violet, what's wrong with you? Take your meds!" It was as if Nathan didn't notice Rose was there.
He pulled Violet into his arms, then quickly gave her some sedatives and made sure she swallowed them. "It's okay, Violet. Don't be afraid. You're safe now."
It wasn't until Violet finally calmed down that Nathan looked up at Rose.
He stared at the red marks on her neck from being choked and the bitter, self-deprecating smile on her lips.
All the things he wanted to say stuck in his throat, and in the end, he could only let out a weary sigh. "Rose, she's sick. Why can't you let her be?"
With that, he turned and walked out, holding Violet in his arms.
Rose was left sitting alone in the hospital room, numb and too drained to fight back anymore.