John Smith burst through the door, his eyes popping at my ragged look.

Without a second thought, he slung me over his shoulder and made a break for it.

"Hold up."

Emily Collins stopped John in his tracks, easing herself out of the chair.

She made her way over to me, step by step.

John was beside himself, shooting desperate glances at Jack Turner.

Jack, for his part, acted like he was blind to it all, his eyes locked on Emily.

Her gaze landed on me, and maybe it was my imagination, but I caught a snarky smirk on her face.

She dropped this bomb to Jack, "This lady's a real bulldog, been on my tail forever."

"You're just gonna let her slide?"

She was laying it on thick for Jack.

Obviously, Jack bit.

Jack shot me a warning glare, "Try that again, and I'll break your hands."

The Maybach sliced through the dark, rainy night.

In the car.

John tried to smooth things over, "Don’t sweat it, Grace. It’s all a mix-up with the new guard, he didn’t recognize you."

Alex's tears dried up in an instant, "You knew her?!"

Jack and I have been an item for almost a year.

He’s a tough nut to crack.

I only ever saw his soft side in the sack.

Gritting through the pain, I grilled John.

"When did Jack start seeing Emily?"

John scratched his head, "Grace, Mr. Turner’s just talking shop with Emily tonight, nothing shady."

"John! Smith!"

I was weak but seething.

John threw up his hands, "Look, they go way back, had a thing ten years ago, then called it quits. Ancient history."

Ten years?

My reflection in the dark car window was ghostly.

I stared, lost.

Emily gave me that same snide smile.

Jack gently brushed my brows, murmuring about their beauty.

Even Alex once joked that if I hid the lower half of my face, I could pass for Emily on a variety show.

Scenes flashed through my mind like a lightning storm.

It hit me like a ton of bricks.

No wonder the big-shot heir of the Turner Group fell for a nobody reporter like me.

I was just a sad stand-in.

My stomach turned.

"Stop the car!"

John slammed the brakes.

I bolted out and threw up in the roadside grass.

Alex was right there, patting my back, "Boss, you alright?"

I wanted to say yes, but the tears came first.

All the unsaid words came out as sobs.

I sobbed and raged.

"Jack Turner, you phony! Big fat phony!"

Jack didn’t show his face until the next afternoon.

He tenderly touched my bandaged hand, "Still hurting?"

A broken bone, not memory loss.

I remembered his ice-cold disdain from the night before.

I yanked my hand away, stood up, and headed for the bedroom.

Jack caught my wrist, concerned, "You saw the news, right? Emily... she's engaged now."

Emily's engagement to a big-shot director was all over the front pages. Hard to miss.

Jack added, "We met up because she's looking to switch agents, needed my help."

After a heavy pause, I pressed him.

"Do you... still have feelings for her?"

He replied to me with silence.

Tears welled up as I closed my eyes.

He sneakily flicked on a recorder in his pocket.

My voice was raspy, "Jack, are you the money behind Emily?"

He nodded.

I raised my voice, "I want to hear you say it!"

That scoop could fetch a six figures.

I had to get that money.

Jack Turner sighed, "Yeah, it’s me. I threw the cash and gave her the connections to boost her from a nobody to the top star she is now."

I fought back the urge to gag, my voice coming out ragged.

"Got it. You can go now. I’m feeling pretty worn out today."

Jack mulled it over for a second, then let me go and started to leave.

Just as he reached the door, a thought seemed to hit him, and he turned back.

Ignoring my attempts to stop him, he reached into his pocket and snatched the recorder from me.

He stared at the blinking green light on the recorder and let out a scoff.

"Played me for a fool!"

With that, he smashed the recorder against the wall.

Shards flew, one slicing my forehead.

The sharp sting came, followed by the warm blood slowly seeping out.

I found no sympathy in his eyes.

I just heard him spit out some harsh words.

"Don't mess with Emily, or it'll end badly for you!"

Tears streamed down my face as I glared at him.

"If you love her that much, take her back. Why drag me into this?!"

Touching a nerve, Jack pinned me against the wall.

He clutched my throat, cutting off my air.

My face turned a sickly purple as I struggled.

He watched with a twisted smirk.

"Grace, you don’t get to shout at me."

"Remember, your mom’s medical bills are on my dime."

"It’s just business, nothing personal."

I opened my phone and scrolled through the chat history with my mom.

"Grace, what time do you get off work today? Are you working overtime?"

"I will make you your favorite cola chicken wings, okay?"

"Oh, silly me. I bought chicken wings but forgot to buy Coke. Mom is going to buy Coke."

I've replayed these voice clips countless times.

My mom had a car accident on the way to buy Coke and ended up in a coma.

I sold my house and emptied my savings, but it still wasn't enough to cover the massive medical bills.

When I was at my lowest, I met Jack Turner.

I agreed to his deal and became his woman.

At first, I was very cautious, afraid of upsetting him.

But as time went by, I started to act more spoiled and show my temper.

Jack would pinch my nose and call me cute.

John Smith said I was the woman who had been with Jack the longest.

I got too confident and believed Jack truly loved me.

I even dreamed of marrying Jack, having kids, and growing old together.

Thinking of this, I lay on my mother's bed and cried my heart out.

Jack thought he could use my mom to control me, but he didn't know her condition was getting worse, and she couldn't hold on much longer.

Jack asked John to bring me an evening dress.

He wanted me to go with him to Emily Collins's engagement party.

Because my mom's condition was really bad, I didn't want to leave her side.

But Jack threatened me, saying if I didn't go, he'd have the hospital stop her medication immediately.

When I showed up in front of Jack wearing that black fishtail dress, he stared at me for a long time.

I pretended to cough, and he finally looked away.

He offered his arm for me to take.

He smirked and his eyes full of mischief.

"You look stunning tonight."

Those charming eyes, looking at everyone with such warmth.

That's the look that fooled me into thinking he loved me.

There was a time Jack came back from a business trip with a very expensive dress for me.

I had never seen such a gorgeous dress.

The diamonds on the hem sparkled brightly, like wearing a piece of the night sky.

Under the bright crystal chandelier, I put on the dress and twirled around happily.

The skirt swirled, and the lights danced.

Jack held his wine glass elegantly and watched me with half-closed, affectionate eyes.

Everything felt like a dream, so beautiful it was almost unreal.

His large hand landed on my lower back, gently rubbing it.

He leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss.

The slightly bitter taste of red wine passed into my mouth.

I was enchanted by his charm and gave myself completely to him.

Tonight's dinner was a stark reminder of why you shouldn't force your way into circles where you don't belong.

I couldn't talk to anyone, but at least I didn't leave empty-handed.

There were more celebrities at the banquet than at an award ceremony.

The hidden camera in my handbag snapped away like crazy.

Just thinking about how much these exclusive shots would sell for made me smile.

I'm usually in jeans and sneakers, so this tight dress and high heels were a nightmare.

I stepped out of the banquet hall and into the back garden.

I took off my heels, rolled up my skirt, and sat on a stone bench. Sleepiness hit me fast.

I looked around, saw no one, and dozed off.

When I woke up, I had a black suit jacket draped over me.

A man was sitting on the stone bench across from me, smiling warmly.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I asked, "What are you looking at?"

He smiled and replied, "Just admiring a beauty asleep on a bed of peonies."

My cheeks burned, and I lowered my head, feeling guilty. "Is this your jacket?"

The man nodded, "It's chilly at night. You should keep it on."

Thanks.

As we talked, I heard Emily's voice in the bamboo grove.

"Jack, do you know why I insisted Grace come today?"

"Why?" Jack responded.

"I want to see your family's reaction. They don't accept female celebrities in the limelight, so how will they handle a paparazzi who only takes secret photos?"

Jack replied, "She and I are just having fun. We're not getting married, and my family knows that. They don't care."

My heart felt like it was shattering into a million pieces.

To Jack Turner, I must seem like a pathetic joke.

Just a clown, performing for his amusement.

Even though I knew the truth, hearing it from his own lips was a knife to the gut.

The guy next to me saw my face and guessed they were talking about me.

He gave me this pitying look.

I hated that look. I didn’t want anyone to see how humiliated I was.

Panicking, I stood up and tried to leave, but I tripped over a stone and fell right into the guy’s arms.

My handbag hit the ground with a loud thud, catching the attention of everyone in the bamboo grove.

Jack took a few steps forward, looked at the guy, then at my coat, his eyes dark and stormy.

“Who is he?”

Emily showed up a moment later, calling out, “Editor-in-Chief Blake!”

The man was Lucas Blake, the new editor-in-chief of MG, the world’s top fashion magazine.

Emily, always the star, quickly spotted the camera.

She pointed at the pinhole camera that had fallen out of my handbag and exclaimed, “Parker, this is a private party! Respect my privacy!”

“Can’t you paparazzi act like decent human beings? Always sneaking around. I invited you as a friend, and you betray me like this?!”

I knew I was in the wrong and felt utterly mortified.

“I’m sorry, I’ll delete all the photos.”

Emily shot me a disdainful look and said, “You’re not just embarrassing yourself, but also the Turner family. You’re Jack’s woman, yet you act so disgracefully. Do you think Jack doesn’t give you enough money?”

My face paled and burned.

Shame started suffocating me.

But what could I do? My mom’s life was still in Jack’s hands.

I couldn’t risk angering Jack or the person he cared about most.

Jack’s warning echoed in my ears.

I said meekly, “Miss Collins, what do you want me to do to make it right?”

Emily glanced at Jack.

Jack said calmly, “Remember what I told you last time?”

I remembered his threat, “If I do it again, you’ll break my hands.”

Suddenly, it felt like I was plunged into an icy abyss.

All I heard was, “John, break her hands.”

He was really going to break my hand just to please Emily.

John stepped out of the shadows with a grin, “Mr. Turner, you must be joking.”

But Jack’s expression was cold and indifferent. “Do you want to lose your hands too?”

John sighed and called two of his men to hold me down.

“Grace, I’m sorry.”

He raised a rock, ready to smash my hand.

I struggled, terrified, and looked at Jack in near despair.

I asked quietly, “Jack, don’t you feel any pity for me?”

He stood there, hands in his pockets, watching coldly.

“Wait a minute!”

I didn’t expect Lucas Blake to stand up for me.