Chapter Three

Chloe's POV

It was January in New York. The stone floor of the Khoury estate's private chapel was like blocks of ice.

I was forced to my knees by two massive guards. The cold seeped directly into my bones, triggering a sharp, agonizing pain in my left leg.

Years ago, I pulled Damien out of a burning warehouse. The roof collapsed. I took the beam for him. My leg bone was shattered into pieces.

He used to kiss that scar. He promised he'd never let me suffer again.

He was the one who made the promise. He was the one who forced me to my knees.

For two days, no one brought food. No water.

My lips cracked and bled. My vision blurred. Every agonizing second felt like needles stabbing into my joints.

Just as I was about to collapse, the heavy oak doors creaked open.

Serena walked in, wearing a designer coat. She smiled down at me.

"Damien says you can get up now," she gloated.

I barely lifted my head.

"I really have to thank you, Chloe," Serena laughed, tossing my phone onto my lap. "Protecting my son by blaming your own dead daughter. She must be so proud of her sweet mother from heaven."

My blood ran cold. "What?!"

I scrambled for the phone.

The statement. It was posted. Damien had used my account.

I scrolled through the comments. Thousands of them.

[So her name was Rosie? What a little brat. Almost got an innocent boy killed!]

[Born bad. Glad she blew up.]

[Too bad, she was cute. Should've let me play with her before she died.]

My brain went entirely blank.

The pain in my legs vanished, replaced by a rage so violent it felt like I was being ripped apart from the inside.

I stumbled up and sprinted out of the chapel.

I crashed straight into Damien in the main hallway. I grabbed his shirt collar.

"How could you?!" I shrieked. "How could you let them talk about our daughter like that?!"

Damien frowned, trying to peel my hands off. "The internet forgets, Chloe. Rosie is gone, but Leo is alive. We can't let a living child suffer. If you hadn't leaked the truth, I wouldn't have had to do this."

It wasn't me!

But there was no point arguing with a madman.

My eyes went wide, empty, and psychotic. "I told you. You insult my daughter, and I will die right in front of you."

Damien froze. He didn't think I'd actually do it. But looking at my face, a spike of genuine terror hit him.

What if I did? What if I chose to go be with Rosie?

He started shaking. "Don't do anything stupid! I'll call the best PR team in the country! I'll scrub the internet! No one will ever say another bad word about Rosie, I swear!"

I let go of his collar. My voice was a dead whisper. "You better hurry."

Damien exhaled, thinking he had talked me down.

Serena walked into the hallway just then.

Before anyone could speak, the front doors burst open.

A manic, disheveled man charged in. The security had been breached.

"Serena, you lying bitch!" the man screamed, his eyes wild. "You made my son call another man Daddy! I'll kill you!"

A hunting knife flashed in his hand. He lunged straight for Serena.

Serena shrieked in terror.

Without a single second of hesitation, Damien threw himself at Serena.

He tackled her to the floor, rolling them out of the way, wrapping his body around hers to shield her from the blade.

"Are you okay?!" Damien gasped, frantically checking Serena's face. "Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine," Serena stammered, her face pale. "But Chloe..."

Damien froze.

He slowly turned his head.

He had protected Serena perfectly. By doing so, he had left my back completely exposed.

I collapsed to the marble floor. Blood poured from the deep knife wound in my side, pooling out like a dark red halo.

When I opened my eyes, the harsh white lights of a hospital room blinded me.

The smell of antiseptic burned my nose.

Damien was slumped by my bed. The moment I shifted, his head snapped up. He crushed me in a desperate, suffocating hug.

"Thank God," he sobbed, his voice trembling like a frightened child. "Thank God you're alive."

He pulled back. The untouchable King of New York looked like a beggar. His hair was a mess. Dark bags hung under his eyes. He hadn't shaved in days.

"What would I do if you died?" he choked out. "What's the point of my life without you?"

I stared at him, numb. "Shouldn't you be checking on Serena? She's the one you risked your life to protect."

Damien flinched. "Serena is fine. But you..."

He grabbed my hand, pressing it to his face. "I didn't think! It was just instinct, I didn't mean to leave you exposed! You are the only woman I want to protect with my life. Give me a chance to make it up to you. Please."

I pulled the corner of my lips up in a weak, mocking smile. I didn't say a word.

For the next few days, Damien refused to leave my side.

He fed me. He bathed me. If I groaned in pain, he stayed awake for forty-eight hours straight just holding my hand.

It was almost like the peaceful days before Serena came back.

Then, the peace shattered.

My phone buzzed. A text from Serena.

If I were you, I'd go check on your daughter's grave.

A cold spike of dread slammed into my chest.

I ripped the IV out of my arm. I ignored the screaming pain in my side and ran out of the hospital into the pouring rain.

When I finally reached the cemetery, the world was a blur of gray.

There was a crowd of men in black suits surrounding Rosie's grave.

Damien was standing there, holding a black umbrella. He turned around, his eyes widening in shock.

"Chloe? What are you doing here?"