Chapter 4

The air in the car was frigid, seeping into my bones.

"I didn't know anything about it," I said, my voice shaking with suppressed anger. "Faye set the whole thing up. She wanted to humiliate me."

"Don' t you dare blame Faye!" Declan' s voice was a whip crack in the enclosed space.

"Faye would never do something like that. She listens to you. You must have put a bad idea in her head."

He glared at me, his face a mask of cold fury. "Why is it always Faye? Every time something goes wrong, you point your finger at her."

He let out a short, ugly laugh. "What's the matter, Alana? Was the highest bidder not handsome enough for you? If it had been some young, rich tycoon, would you have complained then?"

The words hit me like a slap. My eyes widened, and any defense I had prepared died in my throat. He truly believed I was that shallow, that despicable.

The car screeched to a halt in front of the mansion.

Faye was already waiting at the door, a picture of perfect, demure grace. She was holding a small crystal trophy. The "Philanthropist of the Year" award the gala had given her for my "charitable" donation.

She ran to Declan, linking her arm through his. "Declan, don't be mad at Alana. I should have checked the legal details beforehand. It' s all my fault."

The storm clouds on Declan' s face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of pure adoration. "It' s not your fault, little bird. You did wonderfully."

I was invisible. Pushed aside. I didn't even care anymore. I walked straight past them and up the stairs.

After Faye returned, Declan had moved my things from the master suite to a guest room at the end of the hall. It was a clear signal of my demotion. At the time, it had hurt. Now, it was just a room.

I went to the closet and sank to the floor. I pulled out box after box, filled with all the gifts Declan had ever given me. At the very bottom was a small velvet box containing a pair of exquisite diamond earrings.

"You and my mother both have a taste for fine jewelry," he had told me when he gave them to me.

I only realized later that the mansion was already filled with these jewels before I even arrived. They were never for me. I didn't even like jewelry. I only pretended to because he gave it to me, and I had been desperate for his love.

The gifts he' d given me in the last year were all generic, thoughtless. Expensive, but empty.

I packed everything into a large suitcase, ready for the day I would leave.

As I left the closet, I saw a maid replacing the white gardenias in the hallway with fresh red roses.

"Miss Faye said she's tired of the old flowers," the maid explained. "Mr. Lamb had these special low-allergen roses flown in from Holland just for her."

I stepped closer, and immediately my nose began to itch. My throat tightened.

Panic seized me. I fumbled in my purse for my inhaler. The small plastic case was empty.

But I had just checked it that morning. It was full.

I stumbled toward the bathroom, desperate for the spare inhaler I kept in the medicine cabinet. My vision was starting to blur.

I pushed the bathroom door open and froze.

Faye was standing there, holding my spare inhaler. She put it to her lips, making a childish face like she was using it herself.

My legs gave out, and I slid to the floor.

She walked over, dangling the inhaler in front of my face. "Looking for this?" she taunted, her voice dripping with fake innocence.

My trembling hand reached for it. I snatched it from her, put it to my lips, and inhaled deeply.

Nothing came out. It was empty.

Faye' s face broke into a horrifying, triumphant grin.

The world around me dissolved into a dark, suffocating fog.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the door burst open. Coleton. He'd come to visit, to see how I was. He took one look at the scene, shoved Faye aside, and pulled his own spare inhaler from his pocket-one he carried for emergencies since my diagnosis.

He pressed it to my lips, and the blessed rush of oxygen filled my lungs.

He helped me up, his face contorted with rage. "What the hell were you doing, Faye? She could have died!" he roared at her.

Faye, who was now sitting on the floor, instantly switched from a cold smirk to a piteous sob. "I... I saw her having an attack! I was just trying to help!"

"You were just watching!" Coleton yelled. "You had her inhaler in your hand!"

From the end of the hallway, Declan appeared. His eyes swept over the scene-me, gasping for breath, supported by my brother; Faye, crumpled on the floor, crying.

Without a moment's hesitation, he rushed to Faye' s side. "What happened? Are you okay?" he murmured, gently wiping her fake tears.