Chapter 11
“You couldn’t stand it, could you?” Stella‘ s voice dripped as she cornered me in the dim hallway after dinner. She was indeed furious, as if any minute, she was ready to kill me.
I didn’t flinch. “I don’t know what you‘ re talking about,” I said evenly, arms crossed.
“You destroyed everything!” she hissed, her voice rising. “You thought you‘ d won but no, remember that Zack only agreed to break up with me because of you. Because of that ridiculous condition you gave him!”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Oh, so he said yes?”
I wasn‘ t even shocked about that. He didn’t say his answer while we’re having dinner but I knew he couldn’t say no, not with his grandfather’s condition of him
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leaving with nothing.
“That doesn’t sound like my fault, Stella.
Maybe you should ask yourself why it was so easy for him to let you go.”
Her face twisted with rage, but I didn’t
stop.
“Now you know how it feels,” I said, stepping closer. “To be cast aside. To be treated like you‘ re nothing. That’s what you did to me–what both of you did to me. You made me feel like a replacement. Like I was never enough.”
Stella glared, her hands clenched into fists.
“But maybe,” I added with a smirk, “it’s not about me helping Zack. Maybe he just realized he didn’t want you anymore, because why he didn’t ask you for help if he actually wanted to be with you-”
That was the final straw. Stella’s hand lashed out, the sting of her slap burning my cheek.
Chapter 11
“You bitch!” she screamed.
Before I could react, she lunged at me. The hallway erupted into chaos as we shoved, clawed, and yelled at each other. I grabbed her wrist as she tried to strike me again, but she wrenched free, her hair disheveled and her eyes wild.
“You don’t deserve any of this!” she shrieked, her voice echoing. “Not the Colen name, not Rojen, not anything!”
I barely had time to process her words before her hands pushed against my shoulders with all her strength. The world tilted violently as I stumbled back, the edge. of the staircase meeting my heel.
“Stella, no-
I fell.
The last thing I heard before darkness consumed me was Stella‘ s panicked
scream.
Pain greeted me as I woke. The sterile
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white ceiling above me and the rhythmic beeping of machines told me I was in a hospital.
I tried to sit up, but the pain in my ribs made me gasp. My head pounded as flashes. of the fall came back to me–the yelling, the shove, the stairs.
“Amber!”
Rojen’s voice was the first thing I heard. He appeared beside me, his face etched with worry.
“Rojen,” I croaked, my throat dry and scratchy. “What happened? Where is she? Where’s Stella?”
“She’s gone,” he said, his jaw tightening. “We barely paid attention to her because of you and we didn’t think she would run away. We‘ re looking for her.”
“She pushed me,” I whispered, anger flaring in my chest. “She did this. She-”
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“I know,” Rojen said gently, cutting me off. “And she’ll pay for it, Amber. I promise. But for now, focus on recovering.”
Before I could respond, the door creaked open. I turned, and my stomach churned as Zack stepped in, a bouquet of lilies in his hand. His face was pale, his eyes heavy with something that almost looked like
regret.
“Harriet,” he started
“Get out,” I snapped.
“Please,” he said, taking a hesitant step closer. “Just hear me out.”
I glared at him, the anger and pain bubbling to the surface. “You‘ ve said enough. Don’t you dare come near me.”
He ignored my words, placing the flowers on the table beside me. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice trembling. “For everything. I see it now–what I did to you. How wrong I was. I should have never-”
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“You re right,” I interrupted, my voice cold as steel. “You should have never. Never treated me like I was nothing. Never used me, lied to me, betrayed me. But you did. Zack. And now you have to live with
it.”
“Harriet, please,” he begged. “I’ll do anything. Just give me another chance.”
I scoffed, shaking my head despite the pain it caused. “Another chance? You think flowers and apologies will fix this? Your think I’ll forget how you used me as a pawn for your precious heir?”
“Harriet,” he said, his eyes pleading.
“No! I‘ m Amber!” I snapped, my voice rising. “I will never forgive you. This is your fault–everything. I don‘ t want to see you again. Get out. Now.”
