Chapter 2

When I opened my eyes, I was in a hospital room instead of my original world.

Alexander sat beside the bed. He looked exhausted, but his first words were angry.

"Finally awake. You're a grown woman. How could you be so reckless? Don't you have any dignity?"

"You're right," I replied. "I'm an embarrassment. So why don't you let me go?"

His hand lifted reflexively, as if to slap me again. He stopped when he saw how pale I was.

"I spent a fortune bringing you back from those mountains!"

Connor came in with medicine and changed my bandages. For once his hands were careful. Under other circumstances I might have been grateful.

But I knew he hadn't hesitated while cutting out my kidney.

"Take your medicine," he ordered. "You tear those stitches again, I won't be putting them back a third time."

"Don't waste it on me."

The brothers exchanged frightened looks.

They had always insisted I was faking pain to get attention. Now they were baffled that I didn't want their attention at all.

"I just want this to end," I said. "Then Scarlett can have everything without me getting in the way."

Alexander tightened his grip on the bedrail.

For the first time since they'd found me, my desire to disappear seemed to frighten him.