The very things she coveted and treasured, Amara discarded like trash. The thought filled Liliana with a toxic, consuming hatred. She wanted to rip Amara to shreds.

Liliana couldn’t take it anymore. Ignoring the pulling pain in her chest, she dragged herself out of bed, screaming curses at Amara.

She glared wildly at the empty air, her eyes burning with a venomous intensity, as if Amara were standing right in front of her.

After screaming her throat raw at the empty room, a dark realization settled over her, and her gaze turned deadly.

Just a moment ago, a thought had formed in her mind.

It was an incredibly dangerous move. If she went through with it, the risks were monumental, and the fallout could be disastrous.

But she was past caring. She was going to lose her mind if she didn’t do something. Risk or no risk, she had to take the gamble.

So she had to act. Throwing off her hospital gown, she changed clothes and slipped out of Wye General Hospital, her wounds still aching.

Around four in the afternoon, after a grueling day of work, Amara packed up her belongings, ready to head home.

As she walked outside, her mind was still lingering on the events of the day.

The drama with Finnian had topped the trending charts earlier, but a few hours later,

a massive scandal involving an A-list celebrity evading taxes had blown up the

internet.

It dominated all the headlines, completely burying her and Finnian’s drama.

By the afternoon, hardly anyone was talking about them anymore. In a way, that disgraced celebrity had accidentally done her a massive favor.

But while the internet might have moved on, her reality hadn’t. What was she going to do moving forward?

Finnian was relentless, and she absolutely refused to be with him.

And all those assets he had brought today… it was a terrifying display of his resolve.

Thinking about his unyielding persistence gave her a massive headache.

Lost in her thoughts as she stepped onto the sidewalk near the set, a sudden shout shattered her focus. “Look out!”

“”

Amara jumped. That was Keith’s voice. Was he here?

She instinctively turned to look, and the world exploded into chaos.

From the nearby bushes, a man in a denim jacket and a surgical mask suddenly vaulted forward. In his hands, he hoisted, a large plastic bucket.

“Go to hell, Amara!”

The man’s eyes were wide and

The

deranged. With a vicious With a vicious scream, he swung the bucket forward, hurling its contents directly at her.

This time, Amara’s heart slammed against her ribs, pure terror instantly paralyzing her.

What was happening? Why was a strange man attacking her? What was in that bucket? Was it acid?!

Flashes of horrific news stories about women being disfigured by acid attacks flooded her mind, leaving her paralyzed with fear.

Amara had been a beautiful child, but when she was ten, Elowen had viciously slashed her face with a knife, ruining her life.

She had endured years of brutal bullying and torment throughout elementary, middle, and high school because of her scars.

It was only after she finally had her face reconstructed that the torment stopped, and she transformed from a terrified, cowering girl into confident happy woman

The thought of having acid thrown on her and losing her face all over again was a nightmare beyond comprehension.

And if it really was a strong industrial acid, her face would be the least of her worries —she’d be lucky to survive at all.