Chapter 6

At 3 a.m., a shrill ringtone jolted me awake. Groggy, I squinted at my phone: a text from Dominic's brother with an address and a short note.

"Dominic's plastered. Clara, come pick him up."

Muscle memory kicked in. I dragged myself out of bed and headed to the address—a hotel. The half-open door sent a chill of dread through me.

When I pushed it open, my heart sank. Aurora was perched on Dominic's lap, her clothes a mess, her fingers fumbling with his shirt buttons. His neck was littered with glaring red marks, his face flushed unnaturally, eyes unfocused. He'd clearly been drugged.

Aurora's panicked glance gave her away. She'd set this up.

Rage surged through me. I stormed over, shoving her to the floor.

She scrambled up, spitting venom. Before she could get a word out, I fixed her with a glare, my voice cold as ice. "This is a crime. There's cameras in here. What you did tonight is enough to land you in jail."

Her face went white, and she bolted out the door.

I exhaled, steadying myself, then turned to Dominic, trying to get him up to take him to a healer. But his scorching hands grabbed my waist, pulling me close. His hot breath grazed my neck, lips brushing my face. "Clara, baby, let me kiss you…"

Seeing him struggling, a thousand thoughts raced through my mind. Gritting my teeth, I pushed him off with all my strength and got him to the hospital.

I stayed by his bed all night, my eyes bloodshot from exhaustion. But when Dominic woke and saw me, his gaze was pure frost, ignoring my concern like I wasn't even there.

The comments buzzed in my vision, spilling his thoughts.

[Clara didn't help him through the drug with her body, so Dominic's sulking.]

[After all these years, he finally makes a move, and Clara pushes him away? No wonder he's pissed.]

I knew the truth now but didn't bother explaining. Instead, I changed the subject. "What are you going to do about last night? Aurora drugged you. That's illegal—you could press charges."

Dominic's lip curled, his tone biting. "Charges? She was just trying to help me out. She meant well. Turning around and calling the enforcers would be a low blow. Not everyone's as heartless as you, watching me suffer and not lifting a finger."

I stared at him, my heart plummeting. "Even if Aurora planned it? She drugged you, and you're letting it slide?"

He turned away, unapologetically defending her. "She's just into me, got carried away. She didn't try to rob or kill me. Why would I punish someone who cares about me? Unlike you, who stood there cold while I was in pain."

Before I could respond, Aurora's call came through, her voice thick with fake tears, apologizing for last night. Dominic got up, stepping outside to soothe her in a low, gentle tone.

I stood alone in the hospital room, staring at the frantic comments.

[Dominic knew Aurora spiked his drink. He drank it on purpose, had his friend call Clara to make her jealous, to prove she loves him.]

[He thought he'd get to hold his sweet Clara and make up, but she's too dense to see it. Now he's spiraling again…]

The truth hit like a bucket of ice water, leaving me trembling. Another calculated test.

I closed my eyes, grateful I'd already planned my escape.