Chapter 2

Joanna rushed over to me, suspicion burning deep in her eyes. "You know where he is? So you said something to him, and that's why he left!"

I gritted through the pain and didn't engage. "Take me to the hospital, or I guarantee none of you will ever see him again."

The hospital reeked of antiseptic. Fallon claimed there were no beds available and stuck me out in the hallway. With my eyes closed, I could hear the whispers and snickers coming from every direction.

"That's the one who lived off the Cavanagh family for over 20 years, then schemed to drive out the real son!" a young-looking nurse whispered.

"Carol, he looks awful, though. He might even end up disfigured."

"Please. You don't know anything. That's what you call playing it smart. Cry a little, play the victim, and he gets to stay and keep living the good life."

No. That wasn't what this was. Ever since Chase came back, I had been genuinely happy for Mom and Dad. I'd already made peace with leaving.

I just couldn't let go of the bond I had with my parents and my sister, and even more than that, I couldn't let go of my feelings for Fallon.

But this time around, all I wanted was to get as far away as possible.

"Knox! I finally found you."

A petite young woman came running toward me, silhouetted against the light. I forced my scalded eyelids open and recognized her. It was Poppy Kendall, my mentee of three years.

"At this point, you're the only one still willing to come see me," I said, my voice hoarse, managing a bitter smile.

"That's not true! A lot of people are worried about you. Everyone's just been busy and couldn't get time off, so they sent me."

Poppy was still as naive as ever, unable to tell a polite excuse from the truth. Still, hearing her chirpy reassurances, something in my chest started to thaw.

"Joanna and Fallon went too far, putting you out in the hallway like this. It's so noisy. How are you supposed to rest?"

The warmth spread through me, all the way to my fingertips. But Poppy's next words froze the smile that hadn't even fully formed on my swollen, burning face.

"Knox, why don't you just tell me where Chase is? I'll go bring him back myself, and then Fallon and the others will leave you alone."

I slowly set down the apple she'd just peeled for me and looked her in the eye.

"Poppy, you've been under my wing since the day you joined the company. I was the one who cleaned up your messes every time you got into trouble, and I was the one who put my reputation on the line so you could get where you are today."

She squirmed and looked away, her eyes darting.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Knox. Just tell me where Chase is, and I'll get you into a private room on the top floor without even going through Fallon."

"Get out!"

I forced myself upright and hurled the fruit basket she'd brought onto the floor. She clearly hadn't expected me to lash out like that, and her face went pale.

"What's all the noise? This is a hospital," a familiar voice came from behind us, and I started trembling involuntarily. The burns on my face flared with pain.

"Knox, I'm giving you one more chance." Fallon waved off the nurse who was trying to change my bandages.

"Tell me where you're hiding Chase, or else…"

The skin on my face burned raw, but I wasn't going to cave the way I had in my last life. "Set the record straight about those photos, and I'll tell you."

I knew Fallon had the evidence that I'd been drugged and the full recordings that proved I'd been framed. In my last life, begging had gotten me nowhere. I didn't know if Chase's whereabouts would be enough to make her budge this time around.

"You really are nothing but a bastard. Give you an inch, and you take a mile."

She was livid, and it took Joanna rushing over to calm her down.