Chapter 2

The slap cracked through the room.

Lucas looked genuinely stunned.

Then rage swept over his face.

“You’ve gotten pretty damn brave, Stella.”

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her out from under the covers.

“Don’t touch me!”

She struggled against him, but she was no match for his strength.

Lucas pinned both her wrists above her head with one hand and seized her chin with the other. His grip was rough, but his voice dropped into an almost sickening tenderness.

“What are you throwing a fit about now? Your daughter’s still in the hospital waiting for my bone marrow to save her life. She’s only four years old.

“Without me, what happens if she dies?”

Stella went rigid.

She stared at him, her eyes filled with nothing but hatred.

Lucas knew she’d given in.

He chuckled and bent down, pressing a kiss to her eyelid.

“Don’t look at me like that. You know I wouldn’t even bother touching you if Claire weren’t pregnant and I wasn’t worried about hurting her.”

His hand slid down from her chin as he sneered.

“So why are you pretending to be some innocent little saint? It’s not like we haven’t done this before. What’s that?”

His eyes locked on the bite mark near her collarbone.

His expression changed instantly.

He tore open her robe, exposing the bruises and hickeys scattered across her pale skin.

His eyes blazed with fury.

“Stella! What the fuck is this?”

The angrier he got, the more Stella wanted to laugh.

She stopped struggling altogether, letting every mark on her body show under the light.

“Are you blind?”

Lucas’s hand closed around her throat.

“You cheated on me? How dare you betray me?

“Tell me. Who the hell was he?”

His grip tightened until Stella’s face began to turn purple.

And still, she smiled.

She deliberately chose the most vicious words she could think of, knowing exactly where to hit him.

“I sold myself.

“For two hundred thousand.

“He was more generous than you.

“And better in bed.”

She forced the words out one at a time through his grip.

For a possessive man like Lucas, there couldn’t have been a worse insult.

He looked ready to kill her.

“Shut up!”

He looked almost as if he cared.

But Stella knew better.

This had nothing to do with love.

It was nothing more than a man’s possessiveness.

Especially with someone like Lucas, a control freak who couldn’t stand anyone touching what he considered his.

In the past, he’d get angry if another man so much as looked at her.

Back then, before Stella knew she was only a substitute, she’d actually been happy whenever he got jealous. She’d thought it meant he loved her that much.

Only later did she understand.

His jealousy had never been about love.

To Lucas, she was simply something he owned.

A toy.

A dog on a leash.

No matter how hard Lucas pressed her, Stella refused to say Eric’s name.

It wasn’t because she didn’t want to.

She didn’t dare.

Compared to Lucas, Eric was the truly dangerous one.

Lucas was a hypocritical bastard hiding behind a respectable facade.

Eric was genuinely unhinged. If he decided to ruin someone, he wouldn’t stop until there was nothing left.

She had no intention of making enemies of both men at once.

Lucas suddenly flung her aside.

Air rushed back into her lungs.

Stella clutched her throat and broke into a violent coughing fit. Her voice had gone hoarse, and he’d probably injured her throat.

Before she could catch her breath, Lucas dragged her into the bathroom.

Ice-cold water poured over her head.

She shuddered uncontrollably.

But Lucas had already lost all reason.

He hauled her up and pinned her against the freezing wall, clearly intending to force himself on her.

Stella blindly reached around for anything she could use as a weapon.

There was nothing within reach.

So she stopped fighting.

“Lucas, aren’t you afraid I’ll give you HIV?”

Lucas froze.

Stella spoke calmly.

“The guy who paid for me was a real piece of shit. I heard he’s got some kind of disease.

“Go ahead. Sleep with me. Then pass whatever I have to your precious Claire and see what happens to the baby.”

Lucas’s face went from pale to livid, the muscles in his jaw twitching violently.

Just then, his phone rang in his pocket.

It was the special ringtone he’d set for the woman he treasured most.

Sure enough, Lucas immediately let go of Stella and pulled out his phone.

His voice softened the instant he answered.

“Claire, what’s wrong? I just came home to pick something up.

“Of course not. You know you’re the only woman I love.

“What? Your stomach hurts? Don’t panic. I’m coming right now.”

He hung up and strode toward the door.

But just before leaving, he stopped and glanced coldly back at Stella.

“You really pissed me off this time. Stay home and wait for me.

“If I come back and you’re gone, you know what I’ll do.”

Stella’s lips curled in mockery.

So what?

Her daughter was gone.

He had nothing left to control her with.

After Lucas’s little scene, Stella couldn’t fall back asleep even though her head was pounding.

So she dragged out a suitcase and started packing.

Lucas used to treat her incredibly well.

He’d spared no expense on her clothes, jewelry, or anything else she wanted. He always said someone as beautiful as her deserved the best.

Then Claire came back.

Stella found out she’d only ever been Claire’s substitute, and after a massive fight, she asked Lucas for a divorce.

That was when everything changed.

At first, he simply kept a closer eye on her.

Then her daughter got sick, and he realized he could use the child to control her.

From there, it only got worse.

He forced Stella to quit her job, restricted where she could go, and took away all her identification and personal documents.

He stopped buying her anything.

He wouldn’t let her work.

He wouldn’t give her money.

Her daughter’s medical bills were paid directly from his account.

But a few days ago, her daughter had begged to see the ocean.

Stella hadn’t asked Lucas for permission.

She’d simply taken her out of the hospital.

That had infuriated him.

So he stopped paying for her treatment.

Her condition deteriorated rapidly. She suffered a sudden crisis, and despite the doctors’ efforts to save her, she died.

Stella could no longer remember what she’d felt when the doctor told her.

Grief?

Relief?

She didn’t know.

But she knew one thing.

She would never grovel at Claire’s feet again.

Stella barely had anything to pack.

Two changes of clothes.

And one bag containing everything her daughter had left behind.

It didn’t even fill the suitcase.

When she wheeled it out of the Lawson estate, every member of the household staff saw her leave.

No one tried to stop her.

Stella smiled faintly.

Good.

When Lucas came home and realized she was gone, every last one of them would be in trouble.

Lucas still had her ID and the rest of her documents, so she couldn’t check into a hotel.

In the middle of the night, she ended up knocking on her father’s door.

Her stepmother, Cynthia Leedon, answered.

She’d clearly been annoyed at being woken up, but the moment she saw Stella, her expression changed into an eager smile.

“Stella? What are you doing here this late?”

Stella forced a smile.

“Sorry to bother you. I need to stay here for a couple of days.”

“Oh. You and Lucas had another fight, didn’t you? You really should try not to be so stubborn. Lucas is such a good man, and he...”

Cynthia noticed Stella’s expression and quickly stopped herself.

“Come in first.”

She led Stella to the couch, then turned toward the bedroom as if to call her father, Michael, but Stella stopped her.

“Don’t wake Dad.”

She picked up her suitcase and headed toward her old bedroom.

Cynthia hurried after her, calling out as if she wanted to stop her.

But Stella had already opened the door.

Her old bedroom was gone.

It had been turned into a gaming room.

Not a single one of her belongings remained.

Cynthia gave an awkward smile.

“Well, I figured you were used to living in that huge mansion. You probably wouldn’t be comfortable in a little room like this anymore. And your brother kept asking for a gaming room...”

“It’s fine.”

Stella wasn’t surprised.

Ryan had never been demanding, and he certainly wasn’t the type to take over her room.

Cynthia was obviously making excuses.

“I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

Cynthia looked like she wanted to say something else, but Stella cut her off.

“Cynthia, I’m exhausted. Can I please get some rest first?”

“Of course. Of course.”

Cynthia made her a bowl of soup, then went back to her bedroom.

After eating, Stella lay down on the couch.

Only then did it hit her.

She had nowhere to go.

Out of habit, she reached for the bracelet around her wrist.

Her fingers touched nothing.

Stella’s face changed instantly.