(Virginia’s POV)


    I watch with a cold expression as Jasper drops to the ground.


    “Just a sister.” After everything I’ve done for him, everything I’ve sacrificed, he ims I’m “just


    a sister.”


    “Well, that went well.” John chuckles, looking pleased with himself.


    I grab my phone and send a text. Dr. Rashid responds promptly, and a secondter, there’s a knock at the door.


    John gets it, and returns with the Doctor. And behind them trails a woman <i>who </i>wants Scarlett Stone dead and gone more than I do.


    “Is it done?” She asks, casting a condescending nce towards me.


    “Are you a hundred percent sure this won’t harm Jasper?” I ask back.


    She dodges my eye, a sneer stretching her lips. “There’s no hundred percent guarantee on anything in this world.”


    “Then…”


    “Don’t even think about backpedaling. You know what I’m capable of.”


    My legs turn to lead. Memories long buried spring forth. The scent of rain on concrete. The cold stone of the wall against my back. Their breath, sharp with whiskey and weed and nicotine. My screams swallowed by the dark.


    The ground tilts. I can’t breathe. My fingers tremble, wing at air that won’t fill my lungs.


    It’s been eleven years since that dreadful night.


    All I can hear is their voice–low, cruel, dark. <i>“</i><i>No </i>one ising for you.<i>” </i>


    “Hey, hey! Virginia, you useless wench! Who are you putting on this act for? Do you think I’m Jasper?” A kick to the calf sinks me to my knees. <fneffe> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? f?ndnovel</fneffe>


    The pain sears through the images, burning them to ashes. I suck in a breath, heart racing. sweat dripping down my temples.


    “If you’re done pretending, get moving with the n! If you screw up this time…” Morgan stabs a needle in his arm. I want to ask what it is. The n was just to knock him out and


    < Chapter 99


    stage a s*x scene, so Jasper would bepelled to take responsibility for me.


    But this…


    More Rewards <b>> </b>


    “This is my new drug. It’ll erase every memory he has of Scarlett and her bastard daughter.” Giving me one more scathing nce, Morgan scoffs and stomps <i>out </i>of the room.


    Dr. Rashid looks at me with concern. He knows better than <i>to </i>approach me. But John reaches out for me, as if to help me up. I wave him away, and struggle <i>to </i>my feet. I don’t need his pity.


    No. I don’t need anybody’s pity. If I’m going to destroy Scarlett Stone, I need to be smart, selfish, cruel.


    Crueler than Morgan. Smarter than Jasper.


    And more selfish than my birth parents.


    Chasing John and Dr. Rashid out of the room, I walk to bed and start undressing, letting the


    small silk robe pool at my feet. My reflection in the mirror shows a woman with old scars, andrge, crisscrossing her body.


    I mess up my hair, smudge my makeup slightly. Then I take a series of photos – rumpled sheets, my clothes scattered on the floor, me looking tired and used.


    The timestamps show Jasper was here. The photos, suggesting what happened after he


    arrived.


    Smirking, I send the photos to Scarlett. I slip into bed naked and close my eyes, imagining the look on Scarlett’s face when she sees them. The way her world will crumble all over again.


    “Sweet dreams, sister,” I whisper into the darkness.


    Now the real war begins.


    (Scarlett’s POV)


    The buzzing of my phone jolts me from deep sleep. My hand fumbles across the nightstand until I find it, squinting at the bright screen. 2:47 AM.


    Virginia,


    “I know you hate me, but I need to tell you something before I leave for Europe. Jasper is drunk at the Hilton Hotel downtown – the one where you two got engaged. He’s been drinking since he left your ce. I tried to help him, but he’s refusing to leave. I’m catching my flight in a few hours, so I can’t stay with him. I’m worried he’ll do something stupid.”


    < Chapter 99


    More Rewards >


    My heart hammers against my ribs. The Hilton Hotel. Of course he’d go there when he’s hurting. It’s where we had our engagement party, where we danced to “At Last” and I thought we might actually have a chance.


    I stare at the message, torn between fury and concern. After the perfect day we had, after watching him with Lily, after seeing glimpses of the man I fell in love with he went straight to a hotel to drink himself stupid?


    –


    But then I remember how he looked when he tucked Lily into bed. The tenderness in his eyes.


    Something’s not right.


    I throw on jeans and a sweater, my hands shaking as I grab my keys. Lily’s still fast asleep, and Chloe lives too far away to get here quickly. I can’t leave her alone, but I can’t ignore this


    either.


    What if he really is in trouble? What if Virginia’s telling the truth for once?


    I call ir and James. Maybe they feel guilty for leaving half–way through the celebration. Either way, they agreed to look after Lily while I got Jasper.


    “Tell Virginia we want to talk to her.” James says as I grab my purse.


    When I arrive at the Hilton Hotel, the lobby is dimly lit. I know I should ask for Jasper’s room number from the clerk, but something tells me I probably won’t get anything from him. I take the elevator to the seventh floor instead – the same floor where Jasper and I had our


    engagement party.


    The hallway is quiet, except for the soft hum of the air conditioning. I don’t know which room he’s in, but as I <i>round </i>the corner, I see light spilling from under one door. Room 734.


    I raise my hand to <i>knock</i>, then freeze. Voices. Low and intimate pass through the door.


    “Stay, please stay,” Jasper’s voice, gentle and slurred. “Please, stay with me.”


    “I wish I could,” Virginia’s voice. “But my flight…”


    “Flight? What flight? Are you nning to leave again? No, you can’t go. I need you. I’ve always needed you.”


    I stumble back, my hand pressed to my chest. This is what I ran over for? To witness my ex–husband cling to his so–called childhood friend?


    “I’ll stay if you tell me you love me. Tell me, Jasper. Do you love me?”


    Silence. Then a sound that might be mumbling, incoherent.


    <Chapter 99


    “That’s alright, baby. You go ahead and sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”


    Sleep?


    More Rewards >


    My blood runs cold. I pull out my phone and call Jasper’s number. Through the door, I hear it ring once, twice, three times. No answer.


    Switching to the hotel’s WiFi, I search for the room service number, then call from the house phone in the hallway.


    Violet Moon


    <i>#</i>Vote#!


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