Chapter 2

I woke to the sound of giggling. The sharp, feminine sound grated on my raw nerves. My eyes fluttered open to a room full of people. Jaye Hinton stood at the foot of my bed, flanked by a group of other young, pretty nurses and residents. They looked like a flock of vultures.

"Oh, look, she's awake," Jaye said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.

"What do you want?" I rasped, my throat dry.

One of the nurses, a blonde I didn't know, stepped forward. "Dr. Ortiz is busy. He asked us to check on you. And to tell you to stop being so clingy. He's a very important man. He can't spend all his time by your bedside."

The words were a slap in the face. Clingy?

Another nurse chimed in, "Honestly, Alicia. Don't you feel any shame? You're holding him back. Everyone knows he's only with you out of obligation."

My head swam. Even if it was true, hearing it said so bluntly, so cruelly, was devastating. I felt a familiar tremor start in my hands.

"You're an obstacle to his happiness," Jaye said, her voice soft and reasonable, which made it even worse. "He deserves to be with someone who's his equal. Someone who understands his world."

She meant herself. Of course, she did.

"My father..." I started, my voice trembling. "My father saved his father."

Jaye's friend laughed. "Your father, the criminal? Please. The Ortiz family was just being charitable. They took pity on you. You should be grateful, not demanding."

"Don't talk about my father that way!" The words came out louder than I expected. My father was a good man. He was framed, forced to take a deal to protect Augustus Ortiz, a man he'd trusted.

"Oh, are we getting feisty?" Jaye's friend taunted. She picked up the cup of hot water from my bedside table. "Maybe you need to cool down."

Before I could react, she made a motion to throw it at me. Instinct took over. I flinched back, my hand flying up to protect my face. In my panicked motion, I knocked the cup. The hot water flew sideways, splashing directly onto Jaye's outstretched hand.

Jaye let out a piercing shriek. "My hand! She burned me!"

It happened so fast. One moment they were tormenting me, the next Jaye was the victim.

The door flew open. Kason rushed in, his eyes wild with panic.

"Jaye! What happened?" He completely ignored me, rushing to her side.

"Alicia... she... she threw hot water on me," Jaye sobbed, cradling her hand, which was barely even pink. "I was just trying to talk to her."

Kason's head whipped around to face me. His eyes, which I once thought held the stars, were now two chips of ice. The look he gave me was one of pure hatred.

"You did this?" he snarled.

I was too stunned to speak. The injustice of it all stole my breath. He didn't even ask. He just believed her.

"Kason, I..."

"Don't," he cut me off, his voice dangerously low. He gently took Jaye's hand, examining it with the utmost care. "It's all right, Jaye. I'm here. I'll take care of you."

He led her out of the room, whispering soothing words to her, leaving me alone with the silent, smirking nurses.

A few minutes later, he returned. His face was a thunderous mask.

"Apologize to her," he commanded.

I stared at him, disbelief warring with a fresh wave of pain. "I didn't do it on purpose. Her friend was going to throw it at me."

"Don't lie, Alicia. Jaye would never do something like that. You've been jealous of her for months."

His words hit me like a physical blow. He thought I was the jealous, petty one. He was so blinded by his love for her that he couldn't see the truth right in front of him.

"So you think I'm lying?" My voice was a broken whisper.

He didn't answer. He just stared at me, his jaw tight. And in his silence, I had my answer. He believed her. He would always believe her.

A humorless laugh escaped my lips. It was a dry, cracking sound. "Fine."

"What?"

"I'll apologize," I said, my voice flat and dead. If this was the game, I was tired of fighting.

I pushed myself into the wheelchair, the pain in my leg a dull, constant reminder of his cruelty. I wheeled myself down the hall to his office. He followed, a silent, menacing shadow behind me.

The door was open. Jaye was sitting on the plush leather sofa inside, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. She looked up as I entered, a flicker of triumph in her eyes before it was replaced by a look of fragile innocence.

It was Kason's private office. A space he had never once invited me into. He always said it was for work only. Yet here Jaye was, looking perfectly at home. Another small, cruel twist of the knife.

"Jaye," I began, my voice empty. "I'm sorry you got burned."

I couldn't bring myself to say more. I couldn't admit to something I didn't do.

Jaye looked at Kason, her lower lip trembling. "Kason... she didn't even say it was her fault."

Kason stepped forward. "Alicia, that's not a real apology."

"What more do you want?" I asked, looking up at him. "Do you want me on my knees?"

His expression hardened. "Just apologize properly."

Jaye sniffled. "It's okay, Kason. I'm fine. Don't be mad at Alicia. Maybe she's just upset because of her leg." She was the picture of magnanimity. It made me sick.

"You can go now, Alicia," Kason said, his tone dismissive. He had already turned his attention back to Jaye, his hand resting comfortingly on her shoulder.

I turned the wheelchair to leave, my heart a block of ice. As I moved past the doorway, my wheel caught on the edge of the rug. The chair tipped. I cried out as I fell, landing hard on my injured leg.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, white-hot and absolute. I crumpled to the floor, gasping.

Through a haze of agony, I heard Jaye's soft voice. "Oh, Kason, you should take me to dinner tonight to make up for this. That new French place downtown?"

"Of course," Kason's voice was a low murmur, full of affection. "Anything for you."

He didn't even glance in my direction. He didn't offer a hand. He didn't ask if I was okay. He just stepped over me, his arm around Jaye, and walked out of the office.

I lay on the cold floor, the sound of their retreating footsteps echoing in the empty hallway. Silent tears streamed down my face, not from the pain in my leg, but from the utter devastation of my soul.

Later, a nurse I didn't recognize helped me back to my room. She was kind, her eyes full of pity.

"Dr. Ortiz and Dr. Hinton went out," she said softly, as if sharing a secret. "Heard he booked the most expensive table at 'Le Ciel'. He's never taken you there, has he?"

I just shook my head, unable to speak. Le Ciel. I had asked Kason to take me there for my birthday last year. He'd said it was too ostentatious, too loud.

It wasn't that he didn't like the restaurant. He just didn't want to take me.

That night, lying alone in my hospital bed, I made a decision. This had to end. I couldn't live like this anymore. I would not be his victim. I would not be his debt.

I was going to be free.