CHAPTER 2

ANNA POV

“I thought I lost you,” Jack says, his voice breaking as his fingers lock tight around mine. 

My eyes flutter open to white fluorescent lights, a sharp, rhythmic beep echoing in my ear. The smell of antiseptic fills my lungs as pain throbs behind my temples. Jack is sitting in the plastic hospital chair pulled right up against my mattress. Tears shine in his brown eyes, his thumb rubbing the back of my hand with desperate pressure. 

“Jack?” I whisper, my throat raw. 

“I’m right here, baby,” he says, leaning in to press his forehead against my arm. “The doctor said it’s just a mild concussion and a few bruises, but when I saw your car crushed against the estate gates—” 

He chokes back a sob. 

“I saw you,” I say, pulling my hand out of his grip. “In the pool house. With Mary.” 

Jack drops his face into his hands. He lets out a ragged exhale, looking up at me with absolute, helpless sorrow. 

“Anna, please,” he says, reaching for me again. “You have it all wrong. Mary pulled her lower back carrying heavy boxes into the guest house. She was in agony, barely able to stand. I was just helping her with some deep yoga stretches to relieve the muscle spasms.” 

“Her hand was on your chest, Jack,” I say, my voice trembling. “Your forehead was against hers.” 

“Because she almost fainted from the pain, Anna!” Jack cries out, tears spilling over his cheeks. “I caught her before she hit the concrete. I was holding her up until she could catch her breath. That was it. I swear on my life, that was it.” 

My heart aches, a knot tightening in my stomach. 

“She smiled at me,” I whisper. “She told me you were discussing the merger.” 

“She was trying to lighten the mood because she saw how panicked you looked!” Jack wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve, his gaze locking onto mine with fierce intensity. “It kills me that you would think I’d ever betray you like that. I love you, Anna. I’ve loved you for three years. You really think I’d ruin everything we have for your stepmother?” 

Before I can answer, the heavy wooden door of the hospital room swings open. 

My father, Richard Voss, steps into the room, impeccably tailored in a charcoal three-piece suit. Mary walks right beside him, her arm resting comfortably inside his elbow. They stand at the foot of my bed like a unified wall. 

“Look at you,” Richard says, his cold, calculating eyes scanning my face. His voice lacks any warmth, carried only by stern authority. “Crashing a fifty-thousand-dollar vehicle into my front gates over a complete delusion.” 

“It wasn’t a delusion, Dad—” 

“Mary told me everything,” Richard cuts in coldly, raising a manicured hand to silence me. “She was in severe pain, Jack assisted her, and you flew into an hysterical rage without asking a single question.” 

“Darling, you’ve been working sixteen-hour days at the agency for three weeks straight,” Mary says softly. 

She glides around the side of the bed, leaning down. Her manicured hand reaches out, her fingers gently stroking my hair away from my forehead. The maternal tenderness feels revolting against my skin, making my stomach turn. 

“The London trip was too much for you,” Mary continues, smiling down at me with soft, pitying eyes. “You’re exhausted, Anna. Your mind is playing tricks on you.” 

“I know what I saw,” I say, pulling my head back from her touch. 

“I think you need to take a extended leave from work,” Richard states firmly, adjusting his gold cufflinks. “You’re stressed, unstable, and making dangerous judgments. Jack is staying here with you tonight to make sure you don't do anything else foolish.” 

“I don't need a babysitter,” I say, looking between them. 

“You almost killed yourself tonight, Anna,” Richard says, his tone leaving zero room for debate. “Jack stays. We will discuss your leave of absence in the morning.” 

He turns on his heel and exits the room. Mary gives my shoulder one last soft squeeze before following him out, closing the door behind them. 

Silence returns to the room, heavy and suffocating. 

“They’re right, baby,” Jack says softly, pulling his chair closer and taking my hand again. “You’ve been under so much pressure. Just lie back and rest. I’m not going anywhere.” 

I close my eyes, my body exhausted, my brain pounding against my skull. His words keep repeating in my head. She almost fainted... I caught her... You're exhausted... 

Maybe I am losing my mind. Maybe the stress really did twist what I saw in the dark. 

Hours pass. The hospital monitor steadily beeps in the dark room. 

By 2:00 AM, Jack’s breathing turns heavy and rhythmic. He’s slouched in the chair beside my bed, fast asleep with his head resting on the edge of my mattress. His black smartphone lies right beside his shoulder, the screen dark. 

I stare at the phone for a long minute. 

If he’s telling the truth, there’s nothing to hide, I tell myself. Just look and prove to yourself that you’re crazy. 

Slowly, carefully, I slip my arm out from under the blanket. I reach across the bed, my fingers wrapping around the cold glass screen. I pull it back toward my chest, keeping my eyes fixed on Jack’s sleeping face. He doesn't stir. 

I swipe the screen awake. 

His passcode is still my birthday. I punch in the numbers, and the home screen unlocks immediately. 

My heart hammers against my ribs like a trapped bird. My thumb hovers over the messaging app. I tap it open. 

The top thread is from an unsaved ten-digit phone number, sent just twenty minutes ago while I was asleep. 

I open the preview. 

“Tonight wasn't enough,” the message reads. “Tomorrow, same time. Wear the blue tie I like.” 

A cold shockwave rushes through my veins, freezing the blood in my heart. 

I stare at the digits of the unsaved phone number, reading them over and over until they blur together. 

I know every single digit by heart. It’s the direct, unlisted line to my stepmother Mary’s private cell phone.