Chapter 4

I woke up to the smell of antiseptic and the soft beeping of a machine. My eyes fluttered open to a white ceiling. I was in a hospital.

A nurse came in and smiled kindly. "You're awake. You gave us quite a scare. You had a severe allergic reaction and pneumonia from being out in the rain. You're very lucky someone brought you in."

A flicker of a foolish hope ignited in my chest. "Who? Who brought me here?"

"We don't know," she said, checking my chart. "A stranger. He paid for everything in cash and left without giving a name."

Of course. The voice I'd heard must have been a dream. Julian had left me to die on the pavement.

I stayed in the hospital for three days. No one came to visit. Not Julian, not his family, not mine. I was utterly alone. On the fourth day, I discharged myself.

As I stepped out of the hospital, my phone rang. It was Arden.

"Bailey, come to the main house. Now."

His voice was grim. I took a cab to the Heath family mansion, a place I hadn't been in years.

I walked into the grand living room to a shocking sight. Arden was standing over Julian, who was on his knees. The old man was holding a heavy leather strap, and he was using it to whip his grandson across the back.

"You dare to abuse her?" Arden's voice cracked with fury. "After everything she has done for you? For this family?"

He threw the strap down in disgust. "I will never accept that Gutierrez woman. You will marry Bailey, as was always the plan."

Julian looked up, his eyes meeting mine. There was no remorse in them, only pure, unadulterated hatred.

"I will never marry her," he spat. "She is the reason my life is a living hell. She is the reason I have no dignity left."

Every word was a blow. I felt the familiar ache in my chest, but it was dull now, distant. There was nothing left for him to break.

Arden started to speak, to tell him the truth, but I stopped him.

"Don't," I said, my voice steady. "It doesn't matter anymore."

I turned to leave. I couldn't bear to be in the same room as him for another second.

"Arden has planned a dinner for us tonight," Julian called after me, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Don't be late."

I ignored him and walked out.

Later that evening, I sat in the formal dining room, the silence stretching between us. Arden had tried to make it a peaceful family meal, a last attempt at reconciliation. It was a failure.

Julian arrived late, and he didn't come alone. Cassandra was on his arm, a triumphant smirk on her face.

Arden's face darkened with rage, but he remained silent, for my sake.

The meal was an exercise in misery. I couldn't eat, the food tasting like ash in my mouth. I excused myself as soon as it was polite to do so.

Arden followed me out. He pressed a thick envelope into my hands. "This is for you. Everything is arranged. A new life, a new beginning."

"Thank you," I said, my voice thick with emotion.

"He doesn't deserve you, Bailey," Arden said, his eyes full of regret. "He has no idea what he's thrown away."

I gave him a sad smile. "It's for the best."

I was calm. I had accepted my fate. This painful chapter of my life was finally over.

As I was leaving, Julian cornered me in the hallway.

"Leaving so soon?" he sneered.

I didn't answer. There was nothing left to say. I turned to go, but he blocked my path, his eyes searching my face. There was a strange, undefinable emotion in them, something that almost looked like confusion.