Chapter 15
They came to in a hospital room.
When Cole opened his eyes, he found Valerie hovering by his bedside, her eyes swollen from crying. His expression cooled over in an instant. “Why are you here?”
Valerie bit her lip, her eyes filling with tears. “Cole, what was that apology you posted supposed to mean?
You told me you’ve always loved me.”
Cole held her gaze for a long beat, then let out a cold laugh. “Valerie, the woman I loved was just a facade
you put up. It was just an act, wasn’t it?”
“So what if it was?” She caught his hand and clung to it. “If that’s what you want, I can keep it up forever.
Cole, I know I messed up. I won’t do those things again. They went after me first-I didn’t lie to you. This
is all their fault. I-”
“Enough!” Cole yanked his hand free. “You still don’t think you did anything wrong?”
He looked at her seriously. “We grew up together. I don’t know when you became so cruel. Maybe you always were and just hid it. Either way, looking at you now makes my skin crawl!”
Valerie paled. “Cole, how can you say that? I gave myself to you! I made bail just to see you—”
“What did you say?” Cole demanded, disbelief clouding his face. “Since when did we―”
He stopped short, a memory slamming into place.
A month ago, he had flown out to see her. He had drunk too much and woke up in her bed.
He couldn’t remember what had happened. She only blushed and said nothing.
“You remember now, don’t you?” Valerie clutched his wrist, her eyes shining with hope.
“Cole, I belong to you. You need to take responsibility!”
Cole only stared at her coldly. He pulled his hand away, snatched up the folder from the bedside table,
and smacked it in her face.
“Valerie, don’t you remember how many men you’ve already slept with?”
He pulled out a stack of photos and flung them at her.
The photos captured Valerie draped over different men.
“I dug into your time abroad,” he said, his eyes cutting like a blade. “You put on quite the act. Now that your family’s crumbling, you thought I’d be with you? Do I look like an idiot?”
Valerie stared at the photos, her face turning paper white.
She tried to get up and run, but Carter stepped in just then. He seized her by the throat and dragged her to
the window.
His eyes were bloodshot with fury. “Valerie, you flushed Belinda’s ashes, threw Maya’s pendant out the
window, and framed her for pushing you!”
Valerie clawed at his fingers, choking. “How… How did you know…”
“You bullied her for years and wouldn’t stop. You even flushed her grandmother’s ashes. How rotten can your heart be?”
Thinking of how he had punished Maya for Valerie, Carter felt the urge to strangle her.
Just as she was about to suffocate, a hand clamped down on his forearm.
Cole said coldly, “Enough! Do you want to go to prison over her?”
Carter glanced at him, then pulled Valerie forward and tossed her aside.
Her head struck the edge of the table, and blood began to seep from her temple.
She stared up at the two men, as if waiting for them to help her up from the floor.
Cole and Carter didn’t move. They stood there and watched coldly.
“Valerie, this is what you deserve!”
