---- Chapter 1 Chloe Brooks wrinkled her nose at the smell of my burned foot -it was just too much for her. Thomas Wells had his servants toss me right out of the doors. I slumped against the wall, shivering from the pain. In the background, the TV in the living room droned on about a nasty typhoon hitting us tonight. There I was, in just a light jacket, in the dead of winter. I banged on the window, crying out, "Thomas, ---- please! Let me in! The typhoon's coming, and I'll die out here!" When I was 15, my parents locked me up and planned to end me ina fire. Thomas was the hero who barged in and saved me from that fiery fate. He was my savior once, but then, he seemed keen on seeing me gone. I pounded harder, the window shaking with each hit. Finally, Thomas came over, looking annoyed in his pajamas. "You're making a racket. What's wrong with you? "Get moving. You woke us, so make yourself useful. Chloe's craving a cake from Victoria Square. Off you go." "But there's a typhoon, and I'm hurt. Can't you just-" He crouched down, his fingers ice-cold as they ---- clamped onto my chin. "T said, go." The servant bundled me up in a bulky, padded coat. Stepping outside, the chill wind slapped my face Taw. I walked through the pain, teeth clenched. By the time I got back, my umbrella was history, snapped by the wind. I was a sweaty, bedraggled mess. Shaking, I handed the cake over to Chloe. She lounged in the bedroom I used to share with Thomas, her nightgown more teasing than sleep, sampling the cake with a spoon. "I can't stand this flavor-it's like a rosemary- lemon one. I wanted strawberry," she complained, tossing the cake into the garbage can with a look of disgust. Thomas overheard and turned to me. "Go get