Chapter 2

The room went dead quiet.

Brandon watched me for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Threatening to break up with me the second you wake up.

"Guess you still haven't learned to control your emotions."

He picked up a cotton swab, dampened it, and wiped the blood from my lips.

His touch was as gentle as ever.

"You went through something scary, so of course you want to blame me.

"But you can't solve every problem by breaking up with me."

"I'm not running away." I looked straight at him. "You almost killed me."

His hand froze.

"Which is why I'm not blaming you for ruining the engagement party."

I stared at him. "I ruined it?"

"Who else? Grandpa flew back from overseas just for this, and everyone was waiting for you.

"Then you got taken away in an ambulance in front of all the guests. Now everyone thinks my fiancée is unstable."

Brandon tossed the cotton swab in the trash.

"Since yesterday, I've been killing the story, calming down the family, talking to the police, and dealing with the hotel footage.

"I'm not asking you to thank me.

"But don't wake up and dump all the blame on me."

With a few words, he'd turned my near-death experience into another mess he had to clean up.

I was done explaining.

"Get out."

Brandon frowned. "What?"

"This is my hospital room." I hit the call button beside the bed. "I need to rest. Please leave."

He didn't move.

A nurse came in almost immediately.

The second she saw my face, she hurried to my bedside.

"Ms. Stone, are you feeling okay?"

"I need to rest."

I didn't even look at Brandon.

"Please ask my visitor to leave."

The nurse hesitated, then nodded.

"She just stabilized. She shouldn't have visitors for too long."

Brandon's face darkened.

Then the door opened.

Patty walked in carrying a container of food.

A pale pink Band-Aid covered her index finger.

Brandon shot to his feet. "Didn't the doctor tell you to keep that dry?"

"I'm fine." Patty hid her hand behind her back. "I just wanted to bring Willa some chicken soup."

Brandon took her wrist and checked the Band-Aid.

"Does it still hurt?"

"A little."

"Then tell me when it hurts."

He sounded annoyed, but his touch was ridiculously gentle, like she might break.

I watched them.

Then I laughed.

Patty went pale.

"Willa, I'm sorry.

"I have a fear of blood. When I saw my finger bleeding, I panicked.

"I didn't know you were really having an allergic reaction. I thought Brandon would be back soon."

"You don't need to apologize." Brandon immediately stepped in front of her. "If you're mad, take it out on me. Don't scare her."

"Then why are you allowed to care about her like a normal person? Why is she allowed to have normal emotions?"

"You're not Patty." His answer came instantly. "She doesn't have to carry the Hawthorne family on her shoulders.

"But you're the woman I chose to marry.

"One day, hundreds of Hawthorne Corp employees and dozens of Hawthorne relatives will look to you.

"If you fall apart and cry for help every time something goes wrong, who's going to respect you?"

"So you're cruel to me because you want to marry me?"

The Hawthornes had hurt him, and somewhere along the way, he'd decided pain made people stronger.

He hadn't broken free of their rules.

He'd just turned around and forced them on me.

Brandon pulled a document from his briefcase.

"There's an online press conference tomorrow afternoon.

"Hawthorne Corp is going after a new overseas deal, and what happened at the engagement party is already hitting the stock price.

"All you have to do is tell everyone what really happened. Then the rumors go away."

The statement was already written for me.

[My fiancé did not stop me from using my emergency medication.]

[Claims that I was locked in a room and denied medical care are false.]

I looked up at him. "The hotel has security footage. It literally shows you taking my EpiPen."

"Exactly why you need to clear this up. Willa, the backlash is getting worse.

"It's hurting Hawthorne Corp—and our wedding."

"I won't lie."