Chapter 11 “Mr. Gomez, Ms. Jackson has filed for a restraining order. If you have anything to say, you’ll need to bring it up in court.” Javier thought the police had called him to bring me home, so when they mentioned court, he looked totally thrown. I kept my tone calm. “Javier, when you did … Read more
Chapter 10 Chapter 10 288 Vouchers Michelle didn’t bother pretending anymore once everything was out in the open. She stood up and spoke to Javier bluntly, “Honestly, it makes me happy knowing she’s suffering for what she loves.” Javier couldn’t bear it any longer. He slapped her so hard her lip split. Holding her cheek, … Read more
Chapter 9 “Don’t think I’m clueless about what happened to Skylar. You knew all she wanted was to win that piano competition, but you still had her right hand cut off! And Michelle-she ended her life by cutting her wrist because she loved you, but instead of owning up to it, you blamed everything on … Read more
Chapter 8 At the hospital, Javier held Michelle, who was wrapped up in layers of bandages, and pushed the trophy into her hands. “I promised you-every prize from this competition would belong to you.” Watching Michelle light up with joy, he finally remembered Skylar. He turned and asked his bodyguard, “Where’s Skylar? If she’s doing … Read more
Chapter 7 Struggling to move, I slowly turned my head and saw Javier holding Michelle tightly in his arms. His voice was soft. “It’s okay now, Michelle. I’m just glad you’re back. I’ve been waiting for this moment for three years.” Any bit of hope I had left completely disappeared. They picked me up as … Read more
Chapter 6 I cried out, but no sound came. Then, I heard someone say, “Nice. The color is bright red.” Javier finally looked satisfied, like he got a satisfactory answer. When the judges were done “evaluating” me, I was a mess-handprints everywhere, and something sticky smeared on the “stamen.” Of course, I scored high in … Read more
Chapter 5 At the competition site, pots of roses were carried onto the stage. When they reached the last one, someone pulled away the black cloth. Gasps spread through the crowd. I was buried in the soil and covered with roses. The bright blood dripping on the petals made the whole thing feel more enchanting. … Read more
Chapter 4 It felt like I had swallowed a chunk of raw meat. I couldn’t take it anymore. Everything went black, and I collapsed on the spot. When I came to, I was back in the hospital. The doctor said they’d patched up my injuries and pumped my stomach. I gave him a blank stare. … Read more
Chapter 3 I pressed the knife against the vein in my left hand and slashed deep. Blood shot out fast, some of it even hitting Javier’s face. He froze, clearly not expecting me to actually do it. Before he could say anything, I made another cut, this time letting the blood drip straight onto the … Read more
Chapter 2 288 Vouchers “Start the operation!” The pain hit me so hard that everything blurred. My whole body ached. Whatever hope I had left completely vanished. My heart sank. Javier didn’t even bother using anesthesia while they grafted the roses. Every time I was close to blacking out, he told the doctor to inject … Read more