Semua Bab False Romantic: Bab 1 - Bab 10

For five years, she'd been in a secret relationship with her best friend's little brother. Always with plenty of spending money on hand, he'd taken her to all sorts of places, where they'd done all sorts of things together. Stacy Rivers couldn't even go to the restroom without getting cornered by him against the washbasin, the young man's arms encircled around her slender waist. Stacy's eyes swam. "Joseph, not so rough…" Joseph Dorne chuckled lightly, then leaned down and took one earlobe between his teeth, as he taunted her. "Is this too much for you, already? We're only just getting started, you know…" A surge of pleasure rose up from within. Stacy gave in to the feeling, her protests falling silent. Over the years, they'd made lots of little memories in lots of places, but she was ever the one scrambling to keep up with his insatiable desires. Truly, a younger lover wanted it all the time, and wanted it in so many ways… Joseph peered at her with seething intent, hands c

After her second drip bag had run its course, Joseph helped Stacy make her way out of the hospital, toward where he'd parked his car. Charlotte was there, waiting. The moment he saw her, Joseph immediately let go of Stacy. "Charlotte! You're still here?" Charlotte stared at the other woman for a moment, her smile faltering a little. "There was something else I needed to discuss with you, Joseph. But this is…?" Accustomed to keeping their relationship under wraps, Joseph smoothly replied, "This is my sister's best friend. She's fallen ill, so my sister asked me to bring her to a doctor." Hearing Joseph describe her in such terms, Stacy suddenly found it a little hard to breathe, as though something was constricting her throat. For years, she'd struggled to understand why their relationship had to be kept secret. At first, she'd assumed that Joseph was afraid of what Jeanne might say… but now she understood. The real secret was the one he'd been keeping from her, the one stand

At these words, Stacy felt something shatter inside her soul. Her heart was seized in an excruciating vice-grip, so that each breath she took was a painful ordeal. Charlotte was rushed into the operating theater. Joseph's eyes closed slowly, and his hand fell limply away from her. The heart rate monitor emitted an urgent squeal. His friends were losing their minds from panic, begging and pleading for her to think of something. Stacy rallied herself and called up an old friend from back in Safeport, whose uncle used to be a hospital director here in Balmora, although he'd retired long ago. Once Stacy had outlined the situation, her friend urged her to have Joseph sent to another hospital, where she'd persuade her uncle to come out of retirement for his sake. The hospital staff flew into action, loading Joseph back onboard the ambulance, even as they fought to keep him alive. Ten minutes later, Joseph was being wheeled into a different operating theater. Stacy waited out

When Stacy returned, she was shocked to find the auction hall in total uproar, people shrieking and running for their lives. Pushing against the flow of the crowd, she made her way back to where Joseph was, and spotted him attacking another man, livid with rage. The other man's face was already badly bruised and swollen, yet he continued to bellow some sort of manic tirade. "That chick you were just talking to on the phone? A couple of years ago, when I was in university, she was a regular in my bed! She's the campus bicycle, everyone's taken her for a ride, and foreigners are her type! Killing me won't change the truth! I've got a bunch of her photos right here on my phone! Hey, you wanna watch a video together?!" With a shaking hand, the heckler offered up his phone. Joseph's face flushed bright red, veins throbbing in his forehead. He reached out hesitantly for the truth… but then, Charlotte came running in, screaming his name, "Joseph!" Joseph turned to her, his eyes brimm

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Joseph had ordered a whole bunch of tests to be performed on Charlotte. Now, the doctor regarded the clipboard in his hand with a frown. "Mr. Dorne, nothing seems to be wrong with Miss Lane. She seems to be perfectly fine." There was a hint of consternation in his tone. Joseph's expression darkened. "If nothing's wrong with her…" he asked, his voice as cold as ice, "Why hasn't she come to yet?" Unnerved by that piercing glare, the doctor hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Medically, there's nothing wrong with her. If I had to guess, well… it could be an emotional response? Or perhaps she's just… taking a nap?" "Taking a nap?" Joseph echoed derisively, clearly annoyed. "Are you saying she's faking it?" Sensing danger, the doctor waved both hands nervously. "No, no, no! I'm not suggesting anything of the sort! It's just that, as far as conventional medical knowledge goes… there's nothing at all wrong with Miss Charlotte Lane." Joseph too