Chapter 29 God , I was shaking . Not from fear . From fury . My fingers were still bleeding from when I punched the mirror and I didn't care . I stared at the blood smeared across the glass and thought , good . Let them see it . Let them all see what this woman turned me into . Even in a fucking coma , Therese still had the power to wreck my life . Jude had been screaming . Asking if daddy really did that to me . I snapped at him , told him to shut the fuck up and go to his room . He cried , but I didn't care . I couldn't breathe with the sound of his voice . All I saw was Torren's hands around my throat and the way he looked at me like I was the problem . Like I ruined everything . I threw every single thing I could get my hands on in that goddamn glass guest room . Pillows , perfume , a table lamp , my wedding heels . The crash of each one hitting the walls felt like music . And when it was all done , when the chaos had gone quiet , I collapsed in front of the mirror and stared at myself . Makeup smeared . Lip busted . Blood on my chin . The perfect little Massaro doll cracked open . I whispered to my reflection , " No one pities the losing bitch . Only the winner gets applause . " That's when I heard her heels . Cold , calm , slow . Eloise fucking Massaro . She opened the door like nothing had happened , her eyes raking the mess on the floor before settling on me . " Quite the tantrum , " she said . I wiped under my eyes and sniffled , switching to my pretty voice . " Torren choked me . He … he snapped ." My voice broke right on cue . She didn't fall for it . She just walked in and sat beside me , crossing her legs neatly . Her eyes , though - they weren't judging me . They looked tired . Defeated . A crack in the ice queen . " I wasn't thinking . I panicked , " she murmured , barely audible . " Let's end that whore's life . " I blinked at her . My breath caught . Then I leaned closer . " You mean it ? " Eloise nodded slowly . " I underestimated how far Therese would crawl back from the grave . She was always … too stubborn to stay dead . " And just like that , we bonded . Over hatred . Over desperation . Over losing our grip on Torren and the empire we helped build . We poured wine , sat on the shattered couch like war generals , and talked about everything going to shit . " She'll wake up , " I said bitterly . " And when she does , he'll forgive her . He always forgives her . " Charter 20 D X " Then we make sure she doesn't wake up , " Eloise replied . Her voice was soft but sharp as a razor . I grinned into my wineglass . " It's not murder . It's mercy . Just … permanent ." Within hours , she had her people on it . Phones burned , contacts activated , credentials forged . One call to some freak in Prague , and suddenly I was Dr. Ruby Deveraux , specialist from Zurich , neurologist to the stars . Eloise would play my traveling nurse . Perfect . Elegant . Untraceable . We rehearsed our script in front of the mirror , practiced our smiles , our concerned faces , the perfect blend of medical professionalism and rich - lady sympathy . I looked at her once and said , " We're not killing her . " She tilted her head . " No ? " I smiled , slow and sharp . " We're just moving her into our care . " ** At midnight , the hospital was asleep except for a few guards and one tired nurse at the front desk . She was young , bored , easy to distract . I leaned over the counter , dropped my voice an octave , gave her that smile - the one that always works on men and weak women . " You've got the most gorgeous skin I've ever seen . Do you get facials here too ? " I said while Eloise pretended to panic about her fake pager buzzing . The girl flushed and started rambling . We were in . The espresso trick worked like a charm . We left the pods in the break room , Eloise gave them some bullshit story about complimentary Italian imports . One of the guards even joked , " Hope these taste better than the shit we've been drinking ." I gave him my flirtiest smirk . " You'll be dreaming of them , I promise . " Ten minutes later , both guards were out cold . One slumped against the wall . The other one snoring into his phone . Inside the room , the machines were still beeping soft and steady . And there she was . The queen bitch herself , lying in a coma , looking peaceful . Innocent . Like she didn't ruin three lives in one lifetime . I walked to her side , brushed her hair back , and whispered , " Not so untouchable now , are you ? " Eloise was behind me , checking wires , switching tags . We had another woman's identity ready to go , and the system updated before the nurses even noticed anything wrong . I leaned closer , lips just near her ear . " Sweet dreams , sleeping beauty . You're waking up somewhere … less comfortable . " We moved fast . Pulled the oxygen monitor just long enough to keep the alarms silent . Chapter 29 213 86.9 % 22:34 Sun , Aug 10 .. L O X Unplugged her ID tag . Hooked her to portable vitals . Got her in the sealed transport pod . Outside , three black SUVS were waiting . Ten mercenaries stood by with earpieces and cold dead eyes . One of them opened the van doors and nodded . " You got the package ? " " She's secure ," I answered . Another guy chuckled . " Looks like a goddamn princess . Too bad this ain't no fairy tale . " I stepped in beside him . " It is . Just one with a bloody ending . " A third merc guy smirked . " Any chance we get to finish her off later ? I got skills . " Eloise didn't even flinch . " Only if she wakes . " The tallest one , arms tatted with death symbols , looked at me and said , " You want her dead , boss ? We got chemicals for that . Heart attack . Stroke . Brain bleed . You name it . " I tapped my chin . " Hmm . Tempting . But I want her to suffer . A slow rot . Maybe even silence in a box . Let her scream and no one hears . " They all laughed . One leaned over . " You're colder than most men I've worked with . " I smiled sweetly . " Men are boring . I ruin for sport . " The door slammed shut . We rolled out . No sirens . No chase . Just dark streets and the hum of the engine . I held the scalpel in my hand , ran my finger over the edge . It caught my skin just enough to sting , and it thrilled me . " If she ever wakes up , " I whispered , " I'll carve her smile into her throat . " Eloise lit a cigarette , her hands steady now . " Too bad her fairy tale ends here . " We didn't speak much after that . I didn't need to . The silence in the van was thick with victory , and our laughter echoed through it like a curse . 34 Sun , Aug H 0 X THERESE'S POV