Chapter 2

2

Bianca!

The name echoed in my head like a thunderclap.

A few weeks ago, I saw a contact on Xavier's phone with a heart emoji and the name "B."

I asked him who it was.

He told me, cool as a breeze, that it was an important business client.

It turned out she was his most "important" client indeed.

At that moment, Skye finally realized the truth. This was Xavier's company, and Xavier was the man Bianca called her husband.

Her face went from pale to ghostly. She held onto one last shred of hope.

"I'm Xavier's sister," she croaked.

"You've got it wrong. My brother would never be with someone like you. Gwen is his girlfriend!"

Slap!

A sharp blow landed squarely on Skye's face.

"You pathetic little brat. Look at your cheap clothes. You think you can claim to be my man's sister?"

"You aren't even worth the dirt on his shoes!"

Skye's head was still fragile from the surgery. The force of the slap sent her stumbling back, and her head hit the corner of a table with a sickening thud!

My heart skipped a beat.

"Skye!" I screamed, rushing to her side.

Blood immediately began to soak through her hair, trickling down her white cheek.

She curled into a ball, clutching her head, her fingers turning crimson.

"Gwen..." she whispered, her eyes beginning to lose focus. "My head hurts so much..."

"Skye!" I held her tight, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "Skye, talk to me!"

"Help... help me..." She gasped, her body beginning to twitch.

My phone was gone!

I frantically searched Skye's pockets and finally found her phone.

Just as I was about to dial 911, a hand lunged out and snatched it away!

Bianca again.

She held the phone up to the livestream, laughing like a maniac.

"Look at this, family! They couldn't scam me, so now they're faking a medical emergency!"

"Do you really think that's going to work on me?"

The crowd laughed, pointing and mocking us.

"Give me the phone!" I lunged at her, but the guards immediately pinned me to the floor.

My face was pressed against the cold tiles. I could only watch as Skye's breathing grew shallower.

Despair and rage turned into a primal scream.

"She really is his sister!"

"She just had brain surgery! She'll die if she doesn't go to a hospital!"

My voice sounded pathetic and small against the roar of the crowd.

Bianca walked over and crouched down, her eyes full of venom.

"Die?"

She laughed, a sharp, piercing sound.

"Good. Let her die. It saves me the trouble of dealing with her later."

Then, she raised her heel and stomped down on my pinned hand with all her weight!

"Agh!"

The pain was so intense I nearly blacked out.

I felt my bones shatter.

Skye's fading breath, the laughter of the strangers, and the crunch of my own fingers blurred into a nightmare.