Chapter 3

Julian stepped closer, his dark eyes locked onto mine.

I snatched the stainless-steel surgical scissors from the medical tray.

I pressed the sharp points hard against my own carotid artery.

"Take one more step, and I will scream for your mother!"

Julian paused.

A twisted, mocking smile crept across his perfectly sculpted face.

He slowly lowered the syringe and slid it back into his tailored breast pocket.

He leaned forward until his lips were inches from my ear.

"Enjoy your wedding night. Whatever you do in here, both of you will be corpses by morning."

Julian stepped backward and vanished through the concealed door.

I lunged forward and twisted the deadbolt on the secret exit.

My legs completely gave out.

I slumped to the floor, gasping for air in the dim room.

I had absolutely no intention of touching the paralyzed man on the bed.

I just needed to survive until dawn.

A metal key suddenly ground into the lock of the main bedroom door.

The door swung open.

Liam stepped inside and quickly locked it behind him.

His eyes darted from my face to the mattress.

He realized Arthur’s pajamas were still perfectly intact.

"What the hell is taking so long?" Liam hissed. "Why haven't you even started yet?"

I backed away, pressing my shoulders against the wall.

"Still playing the innocent prude?" Liam spat, his face twisting in absolute disgust. "You literally sold your body to a billionaire tonight. Drop the cheap saint act and do your fucking job!"

He shoved violently past me.

He marched to the bed and yanked the blanket down.

He aggressively ripped open Arthur’s pajama buttons.

Staring at the helpless man felt like a sickening violation.

"Look at him," Liam sneered. "And don't even think about comparing this useless vegetable to a real man."

Liam grabbed the waistband of Arthur's pajamas.

A wave of absolute revulsion hit my chest.

I slapped Liam's hand away and snatched the jar of ointment from him.

"Get out," I demanded. "I'll do it myself."

Liam stared at me for a long second.

He wiped his hands on his jeans and backed away toward the door.

"Don't play games. Get it done," Liam ordered before slipping out into the hallway.

The room fell dead silent again.

I stood at the edge of the mattress, clutching the cold jar of aphrodisiac cream.

I stared down at Arthur's pale, perfect face.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered to the empty room. "I just need the money. I can't save you."

I reached my trembling hand toward his waistband.

A sudden, freezing grip clamped down around my wrist.

The heavy jar slipped from my fingers and dropped squarely onto his crotch.

My breath vanished.

Arthur’s eyes were wide open.

His gaze wasn't glassy or dead. It was razor-sharp and burning with terrifying intensity.

"Don't make a sound," Arthur rasped.

I lunged backward in pure terror.

My hip slammed into the nightstand. A heavy water pitcher crashed onto the hardwood floor and shattered into pieces.

A heavy fist pounded on the outside of the main door.

"What is going on in there?!" Liam demanded from the hallway.

My throat closed up.

Arthur stared at me, his fingers still twitching against the bedsheets.

"I dropped a glass!" I yelled at the door, forcing my voice to sound annoyed. "I accidentally knocked it over while taking off my clothes!"

The pounding stopped.

Liam muttered a curse, but his footsteps retreated a few paces.

I scrambled back to the bedside, my heart violently hammering against my ribs.

Arthur lifted a single, shaking finger. He weakly motioned for me to lean closer.

"They... are going to kill us," he breathed into my ear.

"That makes no sense," I whispered frantically. "Your mother is paying two million dollars to keep you alive!"

A bitter smile touched Arthur’s pale lips.

"My mom wants an heir for the board of directors. Julian wants my life."

Arthur swallowed hard, fighting against the plastic breathing tube.

"Julian planned the car crash that put me in this bed."

The blood drained completely from my face.

"Then why did they bring me here?" I choked out. "Why force me to do this?"

Arthur tilted his head, his dark eyes slicing straight through my ignorance.

"You think this was a real business transaction?"

He let out a hollow, painful laugh.

"Julian bought your boyfriend weeks ago. He didn't need a surrogate. He needed a desperate, dumb woman from the slums to act as his scapegoat."

My lungs tightened so hard it physically hurt to inhale.

"Tonight, Julian will cut my life support," Arthur whispered. "And locked inside this room, the only possible murderer will be the greedy gold-digger desperate for my inheritance."

The scattered pieces of the puzzle brutally slammed together in my mind.

Liam hadn't found a miraculous solution to save my brother.

He sold my life to a billionaire murderer to clear his own debts.

I was brought here to die.

I needed more answers. I leaned in, desperate to press him further.

"Wait, what do you explicitly mean by a scapegoat? How are they going to—"

"Ah—!" I immediately shrank against Arthur's chest.

Before I could finish, the overhead lights suddenly flickered aggressively.

Arthur patted my back reassuringly.

"It's just a blackout. Don't be scared."

"Who are you talking to in there?!" Eleanor’s sharp voice pierced through the solid wood.

"I heard whispering! Why does it sound like a man's voice?!"

My blood ran ice cold and I looked up, staring at Arthur.

She had heard Arthur.

A few seconds later, the power came back on, but the footsteps were getting closer.

"Something isn't right, Mom," Julian's voice quickly jumped in.

"Let me open the door and check on him immediately."