Chapter 3
Christian hated being disobeyed.
Fans never saw that part.
They saw the hand over his heart.
The soft smile.
The songs about loyalty.
I had seen the other version only in flashes.
A cold look when a waitress forgot his drink.
A cruel laugh when a young singer missed a note.
A grip on my wrist too tight after I asked about Sabrina.
Now that man stood beside my bed.
“Gabriel,” he said softly. “Leave.”
Gabriel smiled.
“Hospital wants someone present.”
Christian’s eyes narrowed.
“I decide who is present.”
I kept my breathing slow.
Unconscious.
Helpless.
Useful.
Christian leaned close to my face.
“You should wake up soon, sweetheart. The press is waiting.”
My stomach twisted.
He touched my bandaged cheek.
I forced myself not to flinch.
“Maybe we’ll move the wedding to the hospital chapel,” he whispered. “America would cry.”
Gabriel shifted.
Christian looked at him.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You look guilty.”
Gabriel laughed weakly.
“You almost lost her.”
Christian’s voice dropped.
“I didn’t lose anything.”
The room went silent.
Then his phone rang.
He answered without checking.
“Sabrina, not now.”
My chest tightened.
He listened.
His face hardened.
“No, Leo cannot come to the hospital.”
Leo.
A child I had never met.
A son I had never known existed.
Christian lowered his voice.
“Because Genevieve is not dead, and until I know how much she remembers, we stay careful.”
Gabriel’s eyes met mine.
He was recording.
Christian hung up and turned to the flowers.
“White roses,” he said. “She loves them.”
I used to.
He placed them near my bed.
Then he looked at Gabriel.
“If she wakes, call me before anyone else.”
Gabriel nodded.
Christian left.
The door clicked shut.
I opened my eyes.
Gabriel exhaled.
“I got it.”
My whole body shook.
“Send it to Eleanor.”
He did.
May you like
Five minutes later, my attorney replied.
Do not speak. Do not sign. Extraction in motion.
