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I was desperate to remember what had happened before everything went dark. I had been bound to the bed for hours—or days? Time meant nothing anymore. Our eyes met and her mouth moved as if to say something, but no sound emerged.
I begged her with my eyes for a shred of understanding.
She nodded, her lips wobbling and tears streaming down her face.
The door opened and another figure stepped inside. His heavy footsteps echoed in the otherwise silent room, sending chills down my spine. I felt my heart pounding out of my chest as they advanced, their black eyes watching me like prey.
I recognized Theodore and Nathan. The third man was older and lankier, with a crooked nose, graying hair, and a cigarette dangling from his fingers. He had a broad face, a small jaw and unblinking eyes. I had no idea who he was, other than he wore a lab coat, but he had the demeanor of an aristocrat.
He wasn’t dressed like the other guards.
I watched as he sauntered over to Christine and kissed her hand. “My lady,” he said, bowing before her. She snapped her hand back in disgust.
He straightened and gave me a bored look. “His infection is gone, and I dressed his wound to the best of my ability. He’ll live. For now.”
So he was a doctor? And he’d healed me.
Why?
“Can I talk to him?” Christine croaked.
Theodore rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “You seemed to do so convincingly well at the press release. Even I believed that you were in love with Lord Nathan,” he said. His tone was measured, but there was a little pride behind it. “Such a good little whore. Convincing everyone with your smiles and flirty words.”
The way he spoke about Christine both confused and infuriated me. My fists clenched. I imagined throwing him to the ground, strangling him with his own intestines. The anger burned like a furnace that blackened the edges of my sanity.
Lord Nathan’s lips spread into a smirk, a self-satisfied smile that said he knew she was pretending and that he took pleasure in that knowledge. “She’s such a beautiful little whore. A liar, yes. But so good at using her beauty to convince the masses.”
Theodore nodded. “The perfect queen. Isabelle trained her well.” He then stepped aside, allowing Christine to approach me. She slowly walked closer, each step weighed with intent, until she crouched before me. Her fingers trembled as she reached for my hand. She bit her lower lip, trying to keep her composure while tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Are you okay?” she asked softly, searching my eyes for an answer.
I blinked slowly and nodded.
“Good,” she said before turning to Lord Nathan with a glare of contempt. “Now get him out of these restraints.”
Lord Nathan glared back at us. “He is my prisoner, and I will do as I please,” he snapped back at her with a smirk spread across his face that sent chills through my body.
Christine stood up abruptly, every muscle in her body tense as rage filled her veins. “You aren’t going to get away with this,” she spat at him before rounding on Theodore, who stepped forward protectively by Lord Nathan’s side. Christine continued, the anger in her tone heavy. “And you—I will ruin you.”
Theodore merely raised his eyebrows at her outburst before turning to Lord Nathan, who simply shrugged carelessly in response—clearly unbothered by Christine’s threats. He then gestured toward me with a wave of his hand. “Behave, Christine. You wouldn’t want one of your lovers to die. Or perhaps I’ll make you do more than tell a few lies. We want the world to believe you love Lord Nathan. Perhaps you could fuck him on the balcony—”
“No,” Christine gritted.
“Then behave,” Theodore snapped.
Christine slumped her shoulders, making me fume. What had she done for me? Guilt slammed into me as Theodore DuPont, Lord Nathan, and the doctor walked toward the door. “You have ten minutes,” Theodore said. “We will be just outside.”
Christine nodded.
Once we were alone, more tears streamed down her cheeks, carving paths through her makeup. She ripped the tape from my mouth, and the searing pain of it made me groan.
“We have to be quiet,” she hissed. “They’re right outside.” She was biting her lip so hard that I was sure it would split open.
“Are they going to kill me?”
“No,” she said. I wasn’t sure why her voice was shaking so hard. “Not yet, at least.”
I gazed at her with a mixture of pain, worry, and fear. “Why are you here?” I whispered, unable to hide the emotion in my voice. “Are you okay?”
