Chapter 3

Miles handed me a glass of champagne, his gaze so tender that I let myself drown in it. I forced down my blush and tipped the glass back in one go.

So he had drugged me then?

"Aria?" Miles' voice drifted in as he walked through the door, a warm smile on his face.

His shirt was buttoned to the collar for once, but the faint hickeys on his neck told the whole story of where he had been.

I bit my lip, my nails digging into my palms, the sharp sting keeping me clearheaded.

Miles sat beside me and put my arms down. "What are you doing? They're all my friends. Don't you trust us?"

Suddenly, it felt as though the room were spinning, and a rush of heat rose from deep inside me.

"Whoa! Miles, it looks like it's kicking in."

"Miles, is this really okay?" Kurt asked hesitantly.

Miles smirked. "Don't worry. The Sterling family's in a bind. They won't pull through anytime soon. Do what you want. I'll cover you."

I clawed at his sleeve with what little strength I had left, my tears spilling hot. "Miles, tell me... Why?"

I wanted to ask, "Why do this to me? I handed you my whole heart. Why?"

His eyes turned bloodshot as he pinched my chin and said coldly, "Aria, your family hasn't exactly kept their hands clean. This is nothing. There's more coming!"

He flung my hand away, and I crumpled onto the mattress. He didn't glance back as he wrapped an arm around Chloe and walked out. Chloe turned at the door, her eyes glinting with smug satisfaction.

Meanwhile, the men surged forward and grabbed at my clothes.

"Help... Help..." I tried to cover myself, but my arms were too heavy, and my muscles felt like jelly under the drug's influence.

In seconds, the air felt cold on my skin, and the men's stares felt hotter.

They closed in around the bed. I scrambled to crawl away, but a hand clamped around my ankle and yanked me down. More hands reached for me.

I bit down on my tongue until blood filled my mouth, and the sting jolted a flicker of strength back into me.

My mom once told me to keep a pair of scissors under my pillow for protection. Tonight, they might be the only thing that could save me.

Gritting my teeth, I edged toward the headboard as their hands dragged over my skin, whistles and filthy words buzzing all around me.

"God, this is sick..."

"She's probably still a virgin. She's pink all over. It's hard to believe Miles never touched her."

"Who cares? Her first time belongs to us!"

"Come on! Let's go together!"

A hand fumbled between my legs. My breath became ragged because of the drug's effects. Pleasure and nausea collided until my vision pricked with stars.

I clamped down harder on my tongue until drops of blood spilled from the corner of my mouth.

The man closest to me caught my jaw and slapped me. "Stop resisting!"

My fingers finally touched the cool metal under the pillow.

"Stay back!" I shouted, whipping the scissors through the air in a wild slash.

"Oh, tools! What is this, Aria? Do you like to be wild? We can play."

No one took the scissors seriously. A few even laughed.

I backed into the corner with my arms cinched around my body, my mind replaying the feel of those hands on my skin.

Then, I raised the scissors, turned the point inward, and drove them into my abdomen.

The men who had been rowdy a moment ago fell silent at once. Before they could react, I struck again. Searing pain tore through me, cutting through the drug's haze and burning it away.

"You want me dead? Fine, I'll give you what you want!"

Blood seeped into the sheets. My strength ebbed away as everything darkened, then faded to black.