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Chapter 4
I didn’t get what he meant at first. The comments, though, went nuts.
[Wait… the hero doesn’t hate her? Then how’s he supposed to get revenge?]
[Wait, something’s off. The heroine literally asked him to eat with her, and he said no. But he’s been sitting next to the side chick’s bed all night without sleeping?]
[Okay, I’m low–key shipping the bodyguard and the bratty rich girl now. Don’t judge me.]
I looked at Reid’s red–rimmed eyes. “Did you stay with me all night?”
He gave a soft “Mm” and replaced the cold cloth on my forehead. “Hungry? Want something to eat?”
I suddenly remembered last night and tried to get out of bed to find
my
dad.
“Where’s my dad?”
Reid pushed me back down. “He went to the office.”
My eyes flew wide. “He promised me he wouldn’t go today!”
[Girl, you’re out of your mind if you think you can change the plot. You’re going bankrupt, sweetheart. Deal with it.]
All the blood drained from my body. I looked at the worry hidden in Reid’s eyes, and my last shred of hope died.
For a second, I’d almost believed he actually liked me. But the comments were right. I couldn’t change anything.
Me and my dad? We were already dead. It was written. There was no changing it.
I didn’t even know who to blame. I was just so tired.
I pushed Reid’s hand away and stared at the celling, my voice flat. “Leave. I’ll give you a severance package. Take Tessa with you.”
Reid’s grip tightened on the cloth. “Blair, what the hell is wrong with you now? You’re the one who brought me here. Now you want me gone? You treat me like a dog?”
“I already told you what happened. What more do you want?”
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I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the ache spreading through my chest.
“You’re just my bodyguard, Reid. I can kick you out or keep you around whenever I want. So.
don’t go thinking I actually like you or something.”
“You were just a distraction. And honestly? I’m bored of you now.”
was gone.
The bedroom went silent. I don’t know how long it was before I opened my eyes. Reid
Tears slid down my temples. I drifted in and out, hiding in my room for days.
Then, shouting from downstairs. I dragged myself out of bed, head pounding. The living room
was trashed.
[The plot jumped ahead. The hero’s back at his real family’s house. Finally, the sweet romance
I’ve been waiting for.]
[Countdown to the side chick’s death begins.]
My lips went white. I ran downstairs and tried to stop the men who were wrecking the place.
“Who are you? Where’s my dad? This is my house! Get out!”
But I couldn’t stop them. One of them shoved me hard. I hit the floor and saw stars.
High heels stopped in front of my face. I looked up slowly.
It was Tessa. Completely transformed. In just a few days, she’d shed her meek maid act. She
was wearing expensive clothes, head to toe.
[The hero really knows how to spoil his girl. Five days and he’s already turned her into a
pampered little wife. I’m dead.]
My heart twisted. Of course. Reid only loved Tessa.
“Blair Parker, Look at you now.”
Tessa looked down at me.
“Your dad’s bankrupt. I had Reid buy this house for me as a gift. So yeah, I’m throwing all your
crap out. It’s disgusting.”
“Oh, and by the way, Reid is a billionaire’s son. Like, the real kind. We’re getting engaged next
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month. So guess what? Tables have turned. Officially.”
“Everything you did to Reid. Everything you did to me. I’m going to make you regret every last
bit of it.”
I clenched my fists. Humiliation burned.
But before I could even catch my breath, two guys grabbed me and dragged me to the koi
pond in the backyard.
Tessa stood over me, her face twisted into something ugly.
“You remember this pond, Blair? You made me wash everyone’s clothes in here. In winter. My
hands bled. And now every single time it gets cold, they hurt. They never stopped hurting.”
“So guess what? Now you get to find out. Let’s see how you like drowning.”
Terror crushed me. I struggled and said, “I never did that, Tessa. I didn’t know
anything about it.”
Nobody listened. One of Tessa’s thugs shoved my head under the water. The suffocation hit
instantly. I fought like crazy, but it was like fighting a freight train.
They pulled me up, then shoved me back under. Over and over. The repeated drowning was
driving me insane. My fever hadn’t broken, and my temperature was sky–high.
Finally, I couldn’t fight anymore. My arms and legs went weak. I stopped struggling. Dying like
this didn’t seem so bad. At least I’d see Dad sooner
Right before I blacked out, a voice cut through
“She’s mine. Who told you that you could touch her?”
