1 Julian Wheeler sneered, his full weight pressing down on the concrete beam that pinned me. His voice was a shard of ice. "Give me a break, Rosalie. You think I don't know you? You've already found a safe spot. Who do you think you're fooling with this little act?" He stomped his feet for emphasis, sending a shower of fine, gritty dust raining down on my face. The agony of splintered bone ripped a scream from my throat. I tried to shield my stomach, a futile gesture. I already knew. My baby was gone. Julian pulled his precious Sybil up to stand beside him on the very beam that was crushing me. "The earthquake must have terrified you," he murmured to her, his voice suddenly gentle. "Don't worry. I'm here now." Sybil Bristow, a portrait of tragic beauty, collapsed into his arms. "Julian, darling, I'm so scared," she sobbed. "The stones… they scratched me. What if I'm scarred? What if you don't love me anymore?" He kissed away her tears. "Never. No matter what, you'll always be the most beautiful woman in the world to me." His eyes flicked back to me, contemptuous. "Unlike this manipulative bitch. Found the perfect angle, didn't you? Almost looks like you're really trapped." He kicked the beam, a deliberate, jarring motion. "Is this what it's about? Another desperate play for my attention? Just like the first time you threw yourself at me. Well, let me tell you, Rosalie, it won't work again. The only one for me is Sybil." Sybil burrowed deeper into his embrace, her voice a watery whisper. "Julian, darling, I was so frightened. And just now… Rosalie… she tried to push—" She let the sentence hang, an open invitation for his imagination to fill in the blanks. But a member of the rescue team, his face tight with fury, cut them off. "Get off of her, now! If you don't move, you're going to kill them both—the mother and the child!" Julian laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "A woman like her? She's better off dead. Does she really think she's worthy of carrying a Wheeler heir?" And in that moment, nestled in Julian's arms, Sybil mouthed two words to me, a triumphant smirk on her face. I won. Yes. She had won. I remembered the moment just before the world started to shake. She had leaned in close, her voice a venomous whisper. "Why don't we play a little game? When the quake hits, who do you think Julian will save first? You, or me?" And then, I felt two distinct pairs of hands shove me from both sides, sending me stumbling into the open… The rescuer’s patience snapped. He was about to shout at them again, to drag them away. But I turned my head, tears finally tracing paths through the grime on my cheeks. "Save her first," I whispered. As the words left my lips, another tremor shook the ground. This time, Julian scrambled, pulling Sybil off the beam. Another slab of concrete crashed down onto it, right where they had been standing. The impact sent a fresh wave of agony through me. I bit my lip, refusing to make a sound. A warm wetness began to spread beneath me. Julian, standing safely to the side, sneered again. "Wow, you really commit to the part, don't you? Even got the fake blood packets ready. When you're done playing, crawl out from under there and beg Sybil for forgiveness. If you don't, I'll show you what it feels like to be crushed for real." I said nothing. As I watched him shield Sybil like a priceless treasure, leading her away from the wreckage, I found I no longer had the energy to fight him. Not anymore. I closed my eyes, shutting them out. A love so skewed was never meant for me. Julian Wheeler, I'm done with you. I let you go. 2 When the rescue team finally lifted my broken, bloody body from the ruins, Julian was still there, watching from the sidelines with a cold, mocking smile. "Bravo," he drawled. "The performance just keeps getting better. I see you're using my family's money on special effects makeup now. So realistic." The pain was a thick fog, blurring the edges of my consciousness. My vision swam with black spots. My silence only seemed to infuriate him. He strode forward and kicked the side of the stretcher. "Addicted to the act, are you? It's a damn shame you're not an actress, Rosalie. Such a waste of talent." The jolt sent a wave of nausea through me. I could almost hear the grinding of my fragmented bones. It was all I could do not to pass out. The rescue team rushed to intercept him. "What's your problem?" Julian snarled, shoving back against them. "You'd rather waste your resources on a fraud than on people who actually need help? What unit are you with? I'm filing a complaint!" One of the rescuers, his face red with anger, got right in Julian's face. "Sir, back the hell off and let us do our job! And if you can't tell a real injury from a fake one, I suggest you go get your eyes checked!" The insult lit a fuse in Julian. With a roar of fury, he kicked the stretcher again, this time with enough force to flip it completely. "So that's your game, Rosalie! You've hired accomplices now! You think this will make me look at you? That it will earn you an ounce more of my affection than Sybil gets? Dream on!" I hit the rough ground hard. The impact stole my breath, the pain so absolute it was suffocating. But the agony in my body was nothing compared to the shattering of my heart. My own injuries didn't matter. But my baby… my baby never even got the chance to see the sky. He was only mine for four weeks… Despair, cold and vast, washed over me. My heart felt like it was being physically torn in two. But some primal instinct took over, and I began to crawl, inch by painful inch, away from him. I never want to see you again, Julian. I will never love you again… The rescue team was practically brawling with him now, trying to keep him away from me. Sybil, of course, chose that moment to start her own performance, crying hysterically. "Stop it! Please, stop fighting!" She tugged on Julian’s sleeve, her expression a perfect blend of vulnerability and anguish. "Julian, darling, it's all my fault. Please don't blame Rosalie. I… I don't have her talent for theatrics. It's my fault everyone looks down on me. I'll… I'll even forgive her for pushing me. Just please, make them stop!" Julian’s expression softened instantly. He sighed, stroking her hair. "You're just too kind, Sybil. That's why she's always been able to bully you. You're the most important person in my world. Who the hell does Rosalie Thorne think she is, hurting you like this?" He turned his furious gaze back to me. "Don't you worry. This time, I won't let her get away with it." He shoved the rescuer aside. "Today, I'm going to show all of you just how far she'll go for a scrap of my attention!" He grabbed me by my hair, dragging my broken body across the rubble-strewn ground. I was barely conscious, a thin, keening sound escaping my lips, a horrifying trail of blood marking my path. But all I got in return was Julian’s scornful laugh. "Such a dedicated performance, Rosalie. You're really determined to humiliate me in front of all these people. I gave you a chance. You should have taken it." He kicked me again, sending me sprawling, then strode toward me. "Today, I'm going to prove to everyone whether you're really hurt, or just putting on a show!" 3 Just as I thought I was about to die, a furious roar cut through the chaos. "Enough! Are you even human? I've never seen a man try to murder his own wife for some woman on the side!" It was the rescue captain. I lay on the ground, a broken heap, and looked up at Julian’s enraged face. My own voice was flat, hollowed out by despair. "Julian, just kill me. Then I'll never have to see you again." For a split second, shock flashed in his eyes, quickly consumed by a fresh wave of fury. He lunged, but the rescue team tackled him, restraining him as I turned my head away, tears finally blurring my vision. As darkness closed in, I heard his parting roar. "Are you insane? I knew it! I knew you were faking, you manipulative bitch! You've fooled everyone!" "You think I want to see you? Fine! Leave me! Let's see how long it is before you come crawling back, begging to be let back into the Wheeler family!" A dull, throbbing pain in my heart pulled me back to consciousness. My mind was still fuzzy, but I could hear the hushed chatter of nurses nearby. "Did you see Mr. Wheeler? The CEO of Wheeler Corporation? He and his wife are so in love." "I know, right? He dotes on her completely. She just got a few scratches in the earthquake, but he's been running around, making sure everything is perfect, even feeding her medicine himself." "I'm so jealous! He treats her like a princess. You just don't find men like that anymore." I opened my eyes, blinking at the sterile white ceiling. My hand instinctively went to my flat stomach. I didn't need to ask. I knew. My baby was gone forever. The pain had faded into a dull, consuming numbness. For the first time in my life, I truly craved the release of death. But fate wasn't done with me. Sybil stormed into the room, her face a mask of smug triumph. "Someone like you, competing with me? Don't make me laugh. Julian will always love me best." She leaned closer. "Compared to me, your life is worthless." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Oh, I almost forgot. During the earthquake? Julian was so worried you might hurt me that he personally pushed you out of the way." If I weren't paralyzed in this bed, I would have lunged at her and torn her to pieces. Sybil just laughed, a cruel, triumphant sound. Suddenly, footsteps echoed in the hallway. Sybil heard them too. A sly smile touched her lips. "Remember this, Rosalie. There's only room for one woman by Julian's side." In a flash, she threw herself onto the floor, mussing her hair and forcing out desperate, gasping sobs. "Rosalie, please! I'm begging you, don't hurt me!" The door flew open and Julian rushed in. Without a word, without a moment's hesitation, he strode to my bed and slapped me across the face. "I knew it! I knew you were trying to hurt Sybil again! You venomous snake, aren't you tired of this act?" I couldn't tell what hurt more—my cheek, my heart, or my broken body. Every part of me was screaming in pain. I looked up at him, my voice devoid of emotion. "I'm paralyzed. How, exactly, could I have hurt her?" Julian’s brow furrowed for a second, before he grabbed me and yanked me out of the bed. "You're not done acting? What a performance! You've even got the hospital staff on your payroll. It seems marrying me has paid off quite well for you, hasn't it?" My body gave way and I collapsed onto the floor, my head striking the hard tile with a sickening crack. Blood began to well from a new cut. But Julian just grabbed a fistful of my hair, forcing my head back so I had to look at him. "Sybil is the victim here, because of you! Now you're going to get on your knees and apologize!" And with that, he tried to slam my head against the floor.
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