Chapter 4
The tears hit me out of nowhere. The first time he says he needs me-and it’s to save another woman.
Like he’s afraid they won’t believe him. Elake keeps offering proof “My wife, Vian is supposed to be flying to Paris today for the dance convention She has the official invitation in her purse.”
“Please, I’m begging you. Give me back my wife!
This proud man who’s never begged for anything in his life.
His last words come out with a tremor.
Because of Blake, getting kidnapped became my normal
The criminals were usually after money.
The worst time? When they threw me into the ocean. I was barely alive when they pulled me out.
He stayed by my hospital bed then “Viv, I hate what my money and fame have done. This is all my fault.”
He said it over and over like a guilty child
I shook my head back then. “But you need to get stronger to protect me, right?”
Now Blake’s famous, travels with a small army of security.
He became powerful, then turned that power against me first
And this time, he’s literally handing me to kidnappers himself
The scarfaced man across from us starts to believe Bum Time Send my daughter wer, or your wife dies with me”
Blake’s eyes are wild with parie-not for me,
“Viv, she’s been your stand in how many times now? Just do this one thing is that so damn hard”
That word=”stand in.” God, I’ve heard it enough to last a lifetime
Charlotte can be my stand in for that Vogue photos. My stand in at the charty gala
She can even be my stand in in his bed.
But when shit hits the fan? Suddenly I’m the ardy option,
Body double. Decoy. Turns out I’m just her human bulletproof vest
He shoves me forward like I’m a package for delivery, ignoring my struggle.
I’m screaming the truth: Tm Vivian! Not Charlotte””
Blake stuffs my mouth with his designer pocket square-the one I bought him in Barcelona during my semester abroad.
I’d even written that cheesy note: Something to hold when I can’t hold you
Vic, you’ve done triathlons You figure it out,” he whispers
Charlotte can’t even doggy paddle. She’s terrified of water.”
“This in memes life on the line. I can’t just rull the dire…
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Chapter 4
His voice fades into background noise.
All I hear now is the crash of waves against rocks.
Devil’s Cliff. The local suicide hotspot. And Blake thinks I can just swim my way out of this shit show.
He won’t gamble with Charlotte’s life, but mine? Apparently that’s a bet he’s cool with.
Blake used to swear I was his soulmate. His ride-or-die. His endgame.
But even with me sobbing, pleading, practically on my knees-he doesn’t budge.
The panic and heartbreak eventually flatline into numbness.
He pushes me toward the cliff edge, then suddenly shoves me down hard.
Scar-face drags me across the rocks like I’m yesterday’s trash, getting one last use before disposal.
“Useless bitch. Never should’ve existed.”
“The day you popped out ruined me financially.”
My back and sides get torn up by the jagged terrain underneath.
Then he grabs a rock and deliberately smashes it against my arm. Eighteen times.
Finally, I watch Blake scoop Charlotte up without a second thought and bail.
The second they’re gone, I’m thrown off the edge.
The icy water hits like concrete. As I sink, my life flashes before my eyes like some cliché movie ending.
Every memory is Blake swearing he’d “always protect me completely.”
Guess he meant I’d be completely dead.
Blake rushes Charlotte to the hospital, demanding they examine her thoroughly.
The doctors rush to agree. “Of course, sir. We’ll do everything to save Mrs. Hawthorne.”
When he hears “Mrs. Hawthorne,” he almost corrects them.
In his mind, that title will always belong to Vivian.
He pulls out his phone to call search and rescue, but Charlotte wakes up with a whimper.
“Blake, am I dying?” she asks in that baby-doll voice.
“Will my neck have ugly scars?”
This formerly tough, independent woman now completely dependent on him-it triggers his savior complex hard.
He immediately drops his phone and grabs her hand. “You’ll be fine. I’d never let you scar.”
“The best surgeons in the country are on standby for you.”
Charlotte relaxes at his promise.
Then immediately plays the concerned friend. “Is Miss Vivian okay? God, this is all my fault-my daddy issues causing all this drama.”
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Chapter 4
Blake keeps calling the search team. No answer.
They should’ve updated him by now. The knot in his stomach tightens.
The scene of Vivian crying, fighting, begging him is on replay in his head. He should’ve at least pretended to care.
Cold sweat breaks out on his forehead. He reaches for his pocket square-the one Vivian gave him.
Gone. He checks every pocket. Nothing.
The panic hits different-like he’s losing something he can’t replace.
Charlotte grabs his hand. “Miss Vivian’s fine, I’m sure. You hired like the Navy SEAL equivalent of rescue teams.”
“She’s probably just ghosting you to make a point. ”
Right. He hired the best rescue team money could buy.
Even if Vivian couldn’t save herself, his people would handle it.
Blake’s anxiety slowly subsides. Worst case, she’ll give him the cold shoulder for a few days.
He’ll just make the wedding even more extravagant. More unique. Vivian always loved one-of-a-kind things.
He turns back to Charlotte, coaxing her to take her medicine. “Didn’t you want to see Paris Fashion Week? Take this, and I’ll have my assistant Ryan
accompany you.”
Those dates happen to coincide with his and Vivian’s wedding. He doesn’t want to see Charlotte upset.
Charlotte agrees verbally, but inside she’s giddy at the thought of marrying the man in front of her.
Miss High-and-Mighty Vivian Sterling? In the end, she was so easy to defeat.
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You Chose the Bastard? Then Prove It’s Yours
