Chapter 2
Chapter 2
The dressing room’s locked tight, but I can still hear them gushing over how stunning Charlotte looks.
Even the styling team Blake flew in from Paris just for me? They’re all hers now.
I’m stuck using the bathroom mirror to scrub off this ridiculous makeup-the look I painted on to please him, making myself Charlotte’s twin.
The scratches on my arm are still bleeding.
I’m rushing toward the exit to hit the ER when the butler intercepts me. “Miss Sterling, Mr. Hawthorne asked me to drive you to the hospital.”
So he remembers I have a bleeding disorder.
My first instinct is to tell him to shove it. I don’t want to owe Blake anything.
June weather in the city is bipolar-one second it’s sunny, next it’s pouring.
The butler opens the car door again. “Miss Sterling, getting soaked is nothing compared to an infected wound.”
I barely settle into the seat when Blake storms over and snaps. “Move.”
He’s cradling Charlotte, who has this tiny scratch on her forehead.
The second she sees me, she scrambles out of his arms with that pathetic doe-eyed act. “I can’t take Miss Sterling’s seat!”
“There’s a clinic nearby. I’ll walk.”
She shoots me this terrified look, body trembling like I’m about to murder her.
I literally haven’t said a word.
Blake goes full protective mode. “Charlotte, you don’t have to be scared.”
“I’m here. You don’t have to worry about anyone anymore.”
Then he whips around to me. “If you hadn’t insisted on those crystal decorations for the wedding, Charlotte wouldn’t be hurt.”
His eyes flick to my bleeding arm with pure disgust. “Why are you always so damn fragile?”
Those words hit like a slap.
Years ago, I was bleeding out saving his life. My clotting disorder meant the blood just wouldn’t stop.
He was crying, panicking. I whispered to comfort him: “I’m okay. Don’t cry.”
But I kept bleeding.
Blake held me, eyes red and desperate. “Why are you so fragile?”
Back then, he was angry at Charlotte for failing to protect me.
Same exact words. Now he’s using them to call me useless. To tell me I’m in his way.
I bite my lip. The sting in my eyes snaps me back to reality.
1 step out into the rain. “Is this better for you?”
Our lifelong butler can’t bear it. “Miss has been sickly since childhood. We could all go to the hospital together.”
Blake looks at me. “Does it hurt?”
19:51 O
You Chose the Bastard? Then Prove It’s Yours
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Then, cold: “You deserve it.”
He tosses an umbrella at my feet like I’m a beggar.
I tilt my head back slightly, tears mixing with raindrops.
When he notices my red-rimmed eyes, something shifts in him. “Fine, get in the car-”
Charlotte whimpers right on cue. His attention snaps back to her.
My phone rings. It’s Adrian.
“Boarding my flight now,” he says, excitement clear in his voice. “Vivian, wait for me. I’m coming for you.”
“Okay,” I answer.
Then step over Blake’s umbrella and walk away.
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You Chose the Bastard? Then Prove It’s Yours
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