Chapter 2
The jade pendant was soaked in blood. I asked Mae, my manager, to clean it for me.
This pendant was what Rosalie had coldly tossed at me the day she came back into our lives.
Four words were carved into its smooth surface: “Peace and Joy.”
At the bottom, a tiny signature: “Mother. L.”
Rosalie claimed it was cheap flea market crap my birth parents had bought her.
But I could detect a faint jasmine scent lingering on it—almost letting me imagine a gentle woman carefully crafting this delicate jade piece, her fingers working meticulously over a grinding tool.
Mae squeezed my hand, her eyes swollen and bloodshot.
“Please… just one more treatment,” she begged.
I swallowed the coppery taste flooding my mouth. “Seven days… enough time? I’m afraid… that’s all I… have left.”
She fought back tears, shaking her head. “No, honey, it’s not enough. Just hang on a little longer, okay? Look, I’m not exactly Miss Resourceful—if I hadn’t lucked out with a superstar like you, I’d still be managing D-list reality show rejects. Finding missing people isn’t exactly in my skill set. You need to stay with us while I track them down for you.”
“Stop wasting your time. I’ve already called off all your investigators.”
Wes strode in with his trademark poker face, his black designer coat still decorated with a few colored ribbons—clearly coming straight from the production launch.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Mae exploded, jumping to her feet. “Mr. High-and-Mighty Holt, you’ve crossed the line! I used my own goddamn money to hire those people. What gives you the right to interfere? Just because your family owns half the city doesn’t mean you can pull this bullshit!”
He dismissed Mae completely, his ice-cold gaze locked on me.
After scanning me from head to toe, his eyes thawed slightly.
“Your method acting is impressive—staying in character even without cameras rolling.”
He crouched down, his long fingers brushing my hollow cheek as something raw flickered behind his eyes.
“You’re wasting away. This is destroying you.”
“Take a year off. Once Rosalie establishes herself, I’ll orchestrate your comeback. In the meantime, just think of it as playing the role of a dying woman. Keep the performance going.”
I stared at this man I’d known since we were kids, my throat suddenly tight.
I loved him. Despite everything.
He’d always tried to shield me, but I was too proud to ever ask him for anything.
Now, I had no choice but to break that rule.
“Wes… I need to… see them. My real… parents.” My words came out fragmented, like my failing body couldn’t properly connect thoughts anymore.
I hadn’t noticed I was crying until he wiped the tears away with his thumbs.
“I can find them, but you need to do something for me first.”
Under my questioning gaze, he paused for several beats before reluctantly continuing: “Rosalie wants me too. Her shrink says it’s some impulsive trauma response—she’s terrified of losing things. Your family had a little meeting and decided we should humor her with a wedding. Later, when she’s mentally stable again, I’ll divorce her and marry you like we planned.”
“Most of our wedding prep is done anyway—just need to switch out the bride’s name on the paperwork. You’ve always been the reasonable one. You wouldn’t make this harder than it needs to be, right?”
I blinked, feeling like I was floating somewhere outside my body.
“If I… don’t agree… you won’t… help me find them?”
His silence answered everything.
The disappointment stung, making me want to lash out, to hurt him like he was hurting me.
But with my countdown timer running, I couldn’t afford to waste precious days on these empty battles.
Better to use his connections to fulfill my final wish.
“Fine,” I whispered. “But… seven days. No longer.”
He smiled, leaning down to kiss my dry lips. “I knew you’d understand.”
I laughed—a hollow, bitter sound. “Doesn’t… matter anyway. Everything was… hers to begin with. Once it’s all… returned… I’ll be… debt-free.”
He frowned, his jaw tightening. “I won’t touch the Blake family drama, but I’ve always been yours. The only woman Wes Holt has ever wanted to marry is Willow Blake.”
He’d been feeding me that lie since eighth grade. I used to fall for it every time.
But. Not anymore.
