Chapter 6

Julian came through the doorway like a storm and shoved Sienna off me.

Sienna hit the floor hard and stayed there, clutching her arm, staring up at him.

"Julian—what are you—"

He wasn't listening. He was bent over me, checking my throat.

"Are you hurt? Tell me you're not hurt."

I looked at the panic in his eyes and felt something close to contempt.

"Don't touch me." I pushed his hand away. My voice was shredded.

His body locked up. His eyes went dead.

He turned to the floor where Sienna was.

"Who told you to come here?"

Sienna pulled herself up. "I just wanted to speak with her—"

"About what? About how to strangle her?" His voice cracked the air. "I warned you. Do not touch her."

Sienna stared at him, her eyes reddening.

"You're yelling at me—for this wreck? Have you forgotten what you promised my father?"

Julian sucked in a breath. His rage went cold.

"I haven't. But if you lay so much as another finger on Clara, your family gets nothing. I mean nothing."

Sienna ground her teeth. Her eyes on me were pure poison.

"Fine. Remember what you just said."

She stalked out.

The room went still again.

He approached the bed. He tried to take my hand. I moved it.

"Mr. Blackwood." My voice was ice. "Is the show over?"

"Has your first love woken up yet?"

His whole body jerked. His eyes went wide.

"How—how do you know—"

"You can't bury this kind of thing forever." I smiled, flat and contemptuous.

"You make me sick. To save your first love, you turned me into a prop."

"You mortgaged the company, bought Harrington's patent. And then came crawling back here to perform devotion."

"How many faces do you have, exactly?"

His face was paper-white. His mouth shook.

"Let me explain. It's not what you think."

"What is it, then?" I didn't give him room.

"Five years ago, Emma saved my life. The crash put her in a coma. I owe her."

He closed his eyes.

"I spent years looking for a doctor. I ended up at Professor Harrington. He refused to even see me."

"Then Sienna wanted me. She offered to have her father save Emma—if I agreed to marry her."

"And me?" I cut him off, trembling. "In your head, what am I?"

His eyes opened. They were ferocious and certain.

"I love you. From the start. The only one I've loved is you."

"I said yes to Sienna to buy time. The core assets of my company are already moved. What Harrington has is a paper shell."

"The second Emma opens her eyes, I'm breaking the engagement. I'm taking you away."

I stared at him. The tears I'd been fighting ran over.

"Do you think you're a god?"

"You factored everyone into your plan. You just never asked me."

"Do you know what it did to me when you showed up with lipstick on your collar?"

"Do you know what it did to me when she sat in my room and humiliated me with that stock transfer?"

"You have no idea. You were too busy executing your plan."

I drew one shaky breath and wiped my face.

"We're done, Julian."