All Chapters of The Billionaire's Rebellious Bride: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

Everything happened in a terrifying, jagged blur. Before I could even gasp, Santino’s massive frame lunged toward me. He used his entire weight to shove me out of the line of fire, his hands rough with the urgency of saving my life. I hit the floor hard, the wind knocked out of me. I curled into a ball, shielding my head and my stomach as the room erupted into madness. I heard the screech of heavy chairs against the wood and a piercing scream from my mother but I couldn’t look away from the center of the room.I looked at the floor, and my breath stopped. The white tiles, which had been polished to a mirror shine, were disappearing under a pool of deep, dark crimson. It looked like a nightmare had bled into reality.Santino was down. The blood was soaking through his crisp white shirt with a speed that made my head spin, turning the fabric into a heavy, wet shroud. His handsome face was losing its color, turning a terrifying shade of ash. Even as his strength failed him, his dark eyes

I finish splashing the freezing water on my face and take a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. The threat from Santino’s mother still rings in my ears like a physical blow. When I finally unlock the bathroom door and step back into the hospital suite.The cold, lethal woman from five minutes ago is gone. In her place sits the warm, smiling woman I thought I knew. She looks up at me with such kindness it makes my skin crawl."Hailey, dear, you look so tired," she says, her voice as sweet as honey. She reaches out and pats the air toward me. "Go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. You must think of the little one. It isn't good for the child's health if you starve yourself. Please, for me?"I stare at her, forced to offer a tight, fake smile. You are absolutely crazy, I scream inside my head. One minute she is promising to bury me and my "bastard" child, and the next she is worried about my nutrition. You two-faced old hag, I think, my eyes narrowing just enough

(FLASHBACK TWO)The memory flickers to life to the day my father told me about the arranged union with santino, bathed in the garish, over-bright light of my father’s dining room. Even then, I hated that chandelier. It had hundreds of glass pieces that made everything shine with a fake, aggressive brilliance. My father liked it that way. He thought light showed power, but I knew better. Light just makes it easier to see the cracks in the foundation.I sat at the far end of the mahogany table, my hands folded neatly in my lap. To anyone watching, I was a girl drowning in the heavy air of a house that wasn't hers. My stomach felt tight, but not from fear. It was the sharp, cold tingle of a hunter waiting for the trap to spring.I had been leading them all like dogs on a leash for months. I was the one who whispered to the right people about the Blackwood fortune. I had planned every little detail thoroughly, making sure my father felt "backed into a corner" so he would reach for the onl

(Lila’s Pov)My eyes widen until they ache, and a sharp, jagged gasp of shock escapes my throat. I gape at her, my mouth hanging open, feeling the metallic tang of blood pooling on my tongue.Hailey doesn't look like my friend anymore. She lets out a smile that makes my skin crawl, it is chilling, empty, and terrifyingly sharp. My tears seem to have dried up instantly, frozen by the sight of her. I try to speak, to ask her if she is joking, but I only stutter out broken, meaningless sounds. I stare at her like she is a complete stranger. My jaw throbbed painfully from the efforts to speak.The Hailey I used to know was wild and somewhat stupid. She was naive, a girl who only cared about splurging her father’s money on diamonds, ruby earrings, and designer outfits that cost more than my house. I thought she was a doll with a hollow head. But looking at her now, I realize that girl is gone. Or maybe, she never even existed.Before I can blink, Hailey swings another punch. This one hits

I sit inside the plush, leather-scented interior of my car, the engine humming a low, vibrations-filled song beneath me. I reach out and send a small wave to my mother as her car pulls away. I am planning on returning to the hospital, but the city of New York has other plans. The traffic is a nightmare. It is tight, suffocating, and unmoving, like a giant metal snake frozen in the heat. There must have been a massive collision upfront.I am stuck. To my left is a towering, dirty delivery truck, and to my right is a nondescript sedan. There is no space to turn back or change lanes. I let out a long, quiet sigh and lean back into the soft, expensive car seats. I close my eyes, letting the sounds of the distant sirens and honking horns fade away. My mind begins to drift, sliding back to the night that changed everything. The night before my father died.(FLASHBACK)After Santino had picked me up from my parents' house and we had our little, sharp-edged altercation, I had gone upstairs. B