Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Danielle's POV:

I don’t remember deciding to scream, it just tore out of me as I stumbled into the

hallway. My chest burned, my throat was tight, and all I could think about was how

to get away.

“Danielle!” Barry called out, as his footsteps pounded behind me.

He caught my arm just as I reached the corner. “Baby, stop…”

“Don’t call me that.” I yanked my arm free. “Don’t you dare call me that.”

The door to Suite 17 clicked again, and then Victoria appeared, wrapped in a white

hotel blanket like some half-dressed queen caught mid-affair. Her blonde hair was

mussed, her lips swollen, her expression filled with annoyance and false innocence.

“This isn’t what you think…” She began.

“Oh, shut up.” I snapped, my voice loud enough to carry down the corridor. I didn’t

care if guests heard. In fact, I wanted them to hear. I wanted the whole damn resort

to know.

Barry stepped between us, holding his hands out like he was the reasonable one

here. “Danielle, please, you’re going to make a scene.”

“I am a scene!” I shouted, shoving past him. “You made sure of that.”My voice trembled, but it wasn’t from fear this time. “Do you even realize what I’ve

done for you?” I asked, forcing him to meet my eyes.

His brow furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“I have done everything for you.” I said, my voice trembling, though not from fear.

“I’ve defended you when people whispered about your shady deals. I’ve stood by

you even when I knew…” My throat tightened, but I forced the words out. “Even

when I knew about your infidelity.”

His jaw twitched, but he didn’t deny it.

“I told myself that maybe you’d remember the woman who believed in you when no

one else did. But you didn’t.” I continued, taking a step closer.

“You are overreacting, Dan…” He said, trying to cut me off, but I raised my hand.

“Don’t!” I silenced him. “Don’t you dare tell me I’m overreacting.”

For a moment, he looked almost guilty.

“I stayed.” I whispered. “Not because you deserved it, but because I thought I could

save what we had. Now I realize there’s nothing left worth saving.”

Before either of them could spit out another lie, movement flickered at the end of the

hallway.

I turned to see two tall men dressed in black rounding the corner. Ski masks hid

their faces, but their eyes… their eyes were predatory.

Everything in me screamed danger.

“What the…” Barry turned, his words cut short as one of the masked men pulled a

gun from inside his jacket and took a step closer.Victoria shrieked and moved to Barry's side while I froze. Suddenly, the corridor

exploded into chaos as one man lunged toward Victoria and the other towards me.

Barry moved instantly, but not toward me, but toward Victoria. He shoved her behind

him, his body curling protectively around hers.

“Go! Go!” He shouted, his arm locking around her waist as he dragged her down the

hall.

The second masked man came for me.

I stumbled backward, my heel catching on the carpet. “Who are you?!” I demanded,

my voice shaking.

No answer. Just the gleam of steel and the rush of air as he swung the knife he had

pulled out of his jacket in the air.

Pain ripped across my chest and I gasped, realizing that I had just gotten slashed.

Falling to the ground, I pressed my hand to my side. Warmth pooled beneath my

fingers, and my vision blurred.

But the realization that he left me was much worse than the pain.

“Help…” The word was barely a whisper.

The masked man hesitated, then bolted in the opposite direction, his partner already

gone.

Somewhere far away, alarms blared and shouts echoed. The last thing I saw before

the darkness took me was the smear of my own blood against the white walls.

><><><

I woke up to the sound of beeping.

My eyelids felt heavy, and my throat felt dry. It took me a moment to register the

stiffness in my wrists… and the cold bite of metal.

I tried to sit up, but the handcuffs rattled, pinning one wrist to the steel bedframe.

“What the hell—?”

A uniformed police officer stood by the window, his arms crossed, eyes flat.

“Danielle Jules?”

My mouth was sandpaper. “Yes.”

“You’re under investigation for attempted murder.”

The words didn’t make sense. “What?”

He didn’t blink. “We have reason to believe you hired two men to attack Miss

Victoria Churchill last night.”

I laughed. It wasn’t pretty. “You think I—? Are you out of your mind? I was the one

bleeding on the floor!”

“You sustained an injury during the altercation, yes.” He said it like he was reading

from a report, not talking about my body nearly giving out. “But the evidence

suggests you planned it. We found a burner phone in your clutch with messages

coordinating the attack.”

I shook my head, the motion making the room sway. “That’s not mine.”

He didn’t answer.

A nurse entered, adjusting the IV in my arm without looking at me. Her eyes flicked

toward the officer, then away, like she already believed the story.

“Where’s my husband?” I demanded.The officer’s jaw tightened. “Mr. James is giving a statement. He confirms that

you’ve been acting… erratic lately.”

I froze. “He what?”

“He also confirmed that you and Victoria have a history of hostility. You confronted

her a few days ago, then in her suite and moments later, two armed men attacked.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Barry wasn’t just leaving me behind, he was feeding them the rope to hang me with.

I wanted to scream. To tear the IV out, rip the cuffs off, and march straight to

wherever he was. But all I could do was lie there, staring at the ceiling and the slow

drip of the IV ticking away like a countdown.

I thought the betrayal in Suite 17 was the worst thing that could

happen to me but I was wrong.