Chapter 4

“I'm going upstairs to give Sylvia her gift,” Liam said. “Get something to eat while you're here.”

He gave Tanya a casual pat on the shoulder.

But the instant he touched her, she recoiled as though she'd been burned.

Liam paused.

Then he laughed.

“What's wrong? Scared of me?”

Tanya said nothing.

Liam didn't seem to care. He turned and headed toward the dance floor.

Tanya watched the three of them from across the ballroom.

Preston.

Sylvia.

Liam.

They stood together, talking and laughing, looking like they belonged in the same perfect picture.

And Tanya was nothing more than an outsider who had wandered into it by mistake.

Just then, several women approached her.

They were Sylvia's closest friends.

The woman leading them was Rachel Miller, Sylvia's best friend, who had never made any secret of how much she disliked Tanya.

“Well, if it isn't Mrs. Hayes.”

Rachel looked her up and down.

“Why are you standing here all alone? Where's Preston?”

Tanya ignored her and turned to leave.

Rachel stepped in front of her.

“Don't go. Let's chat.”

“We have nothing to talk about.”

“Of course we do.” Rachel smiled. “We could talk about how you managed to get into Preston's bed. Or how you tricked him into marrying you. Or how some nobody like you actually thought she could marry into a family like his and suddenly become somebody.”

People nearby began turning to look.

Tanya clenched her fists.

“Move.”

“No.”

Rachel stepped closer and shoved her hard.

“Who the hell do you think you are? You actually think you're good enough for Preston? Sylvia's the one who belongs with him. Sooner or later, he's going to dump you!”

In the middle of the pushing and shoving, Tanya's foot suddenly caught on something.

Already emotionally overwhelmed and physically drained, she lost her balance and crashed to the floor.

“Oh, I'm sorry.”

Rachel's apology was dripping with insincerity.

“I didn't mean to do that.”

The other women immediately crowded around Tanya.

One threw her drink in Tanya's face.

Another ground her heel into Tanya's hand.

Someone else grabbed her hair and yanked.

“Bitch! Take a look in the mirror. You really think you're good enough for him?”

“Preston only married you because he was bored!”

“One day he's going to dump you and marry Sylvia!”

Pain shot through Tanya's body.

She tried to push herself up.

But to her horror, she realized she barely had any strength.

Her entire body felt weak and heavy, as though her muscles had stopped working.

The champagne.

The glass Liam had given her.

There had been something in it.

He'd drugged her.

The realization sent ice through her veins.

Tanya looked toward the dance floor.

For one desperate second, she wanted to call Preston's name.

But Preston still had his arms around Sylvia.

He was smiling at her, his gaze warm and tender.

He didn't even glance in Tanya's direction.

Whatever remained of Tanya's heart turned cold.

Of course.

She'd forgotten.

Sylvia was the woman he loved.

And every day, Preston thought about how to make Tanya suffer.

Why would he ever save her?

When the women realized no one was coming to Tanya's aid, they became even more vicious.

They kicked and hit her while hurling insults.

Tanya's face and body burned with pain.

The drug left her too weak to fight back.

She lay there helplessly as they kicked her around and humiliated her.

Finally, Tanya gathered the last of her strength.

With a sudden burst of desperation, she shoved away the woman closest to her.

Then she scrambled to her feet and staggered toward the ballroom doors.

Angry shouts followed her.

Tanya's head spun.

Her vision blurred.

Running almost entirely on instinct, she stumbled out of the ballroom and onto the hotel driveway.

The cold night air hit her.

Instead of clearing her head, it seemed to make the drug affect her even more strongly.

Her knees buckled.

She could barely stay upright.

Then headlights suddenly flared in front of her.

A black sedan was coming straight at her.

Tanya's eyes widened.

She tried to move.

Her body wouldn't respond.

The car slammed into her.

The impact sent her flying.

For one weightless instant, she felt like a dead leaf caught in the wind.

Then she crashed onto the cold pavement.

Agony tore through her entire body.

Warm blood spilled from her nose and mouth, spreading beneath her across the pavement.

Her vision began to blur.

Darkness rushed in.

Just before she lost consciousness, Tanya vaguely saw two figures standing nearby.

Preston and Liam.

She didn't know when they'd come outside.

They simply stood there, watching her bleed out on the pavement.

Neither man showed the slightest emotion.

They might as well have been watching something that had nothing to do with them.

Then Tanya heard Liam's familiar, careless voice.

“Whose idea was this revenge plan anyway? You had me drug her, then sent Rachel Miller and those idiots after her. And even if she managed to get away from them, you had a car waiting outside to hit her.”

He gave a low laugh.

“One thing after another. That's cold.”

Then Preston spoke.

His voice was as cool and composed as ever.

And this time, it made Tanya's blood run cold.

“That was the point. I wanted to make sure she'd never forget it.”

His tone didn't change.

“Don't worry. She won't die. I calculated the angle and speed. I've already made arrangements with the hospital too.”

So this had all been planned.

Every last part of it.

Preston and Liam had orchestrated the entire thing.

Just to get revenge on her, there was nothing they wouldn't do.