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Drowning In Betrayal: Watch Me Shine Now

Chapter 4 

Word Count: 979    |    Released on: Today at 17:56

estate. The gates were wide open. Dozens of photographers and social media journ

e notes app. She took a slow, shallow breath to keep her stomach from cra

99. She did not add a

r seat between them. He picked it up and glanced a

tossed the phone back onto the seat. "What

not look at him. She stared straight ahead at the approaching mansion. Her si

uniform rushed forward and pulled Julio's door open. The freezing wind rushed

his face instantly. He smiled, waved at the cameras,

. For a fraction of a second, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. She glanced toward the dark line of tall hedges bordering the driveway. A tall, broad-shouldered silhouette stood perfe

pulling her hard against his hip. The sudden, violent jerk made Amanda's stomach roll. Acid bur

ight to the side. Julio's fingers tight

teeth, keeping his face turned towa

r facial muscles felt like stiff plastic. She

tly. The air was thick with the smell of expensive champagne, roasted meats, and heavy

reached for Amanda's. Rosa's eyes flicked to Amanda's pale face. A brie

, sharp black evening gown. It was severe and uninviting, a stark con

massive crystal chandelier hung from the ce

the biggest real estate empires in New York. The youngest part

a custom white gown that looked suspiciously like a wedding dress. Meredith was introducing B

. Her parents were parading their adopted daughter in front of the city's elite, trying to secure a massive alliance.

a curse under his breath. He hated when the Ro

g crystal glasses. They were Julio's investors. The

st. He stepped forward, laughing at a joke one of th

the edge of the room, near a long buffet table. She picked up a glass of

om. Billie was smiling, soaking up the atte

hampagne-colored s

quickly. She kept her head down. Amanda recognized the slope of her sh

sharp clack. She did not hesitate. She picked up the heavy skirt of her blac

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Drowning In Betrayal: Watch Me Shine Now
Drowning In Betrayal: Watch Me Shine Now
“I was lying in the emergency room with acute gastroenteritis on my birthday, but my mother ordered me to rip out my IV needle. She threatened to freeze all my accounts if I didn't show up to my adopted sister's high-society matchmaking party. When I arrived, dragging my weak body, I caught my fiancé Julio protecting his mistress. Worse, my adopted sister Billie framed me for stealing my own grandmother's heirloom earrings just to play the victim in front of New York's elite. I refused to be their stepping stone and projected the evidence of Julio's affair on the massive ballroom screen. In a rage, my father cursed me, and my mother slapped me across the face so hard my mouth bled. During the ensuing physical struggle, my adopted sister, the mistress, and I all plunged into the freezing outdoor swimming pool. My fiancé desperately swam to save his mistress, while my own brother rushed to pull my adopted sister above the water. I stopped kicking and let my heavy, soaked clothes pull me down to the bottom of the black pool. Why did my own flesh and blood treat me like garbage? After a mysterious bodyguard pulled me from the water, I watched my family frantically wrap the other two women in warm blankets. I didn't shed a single tear. "I am no longer a part of this family. I never want to see any of you again." I publicly canceled the engagement, turned my back on the wealthy estate, and walked away into the freezing winter night.”