The soup had gone cold hours ago.
It sat untouched on the tray beside her bed,a pale film of fat glistening on its surface, the spoon half-submerged like a sinking ship.The smell of broth clung to the air,thick and sour under the hum of the fluorescent lights.The hospital had quieted after visiting hours,but the silence wasn't peaceful.It pressed against her chest and so did the weight of guilt she somehow felt for not hearing Amara out at the last minute.
"I can't let him control me anymore—"
Could Damon have been controlling her? She did mention that they were getting married. Perhaps she was forced to marry him. Maybe it wasn't all rosy as she had painted their relationship to be.
A soft knock broke the quiet as a nurse peeked in, smiling faintly. She couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. This wasn't a real hospital afterall. Just some private medical ward in Hale Estate. Everyone here felt so animated and unnatural it almost made her want to puke."Miss Rowan, do you need anything?"
Lena shook her head. "No.Thanks."
The nurse glanced at the untouched food. "You really should eat something."
"I'm not hungry."
She lingered for a brief second and as she was about to leave Lena called after her. "Has my brother been contacted yet?" But she got no answer as the door clicked shut.
She reached for the envelope which had lay untouched since Damon placed it before her. The paper crackled under her touch as she fiddled to pry it open. Once she did, she discovered it was an egregious lump sum and attached to it was a signature in Italic. She could recognize that signature anywhere.
The figure made her jump; she tucked it back in and shifted it away from her.
The door hissed open again and this time two detectives stepped in— one slender and young with a kind of stumble that fitted awkwardly on his chin,the other built like a desk.They took adjourning seats opposite her as she watched them without saying a word.The older man flicked his badge, then rested his elbows on his knees.
"Sorry to bother you but we're just doing our jobs. For the sake of this interrogation, I am Barnes and this is Martin." She remained silent.
"Miss Rowan," he continued. "You were the only witness.Tell us again what happened on the cliff."
Lena's throat tightened. "Yes. She—she called me sounding terrified saying she needed to talk."
"Talk," Barnes repeated, pulling a chair closer to her bed. "About what?"
"She didn't say. She was to tell me when I got there "
Martin's pen scratched the page. "You two were close?"
Lena hesitated. "We had a contract. I was her painter. That's all.We weren't friends."
Barnes studied her face. "Then why would an heiress call a freelance artist in the middle of the night? Especially when you are not 'friends'" He made
air quotes in sarcasm but Lena was too tired to get annoyed.
"I don't know."
Barnes exhaled through his nose as he slid a photograph across the sheets. The image was grainy and a bit blurry but it was unmistakably her and Amara on the cliffs.The headline stamped below it read:
"Unknown artist involved in Hale Heiress crash—Jealousy or Obsession?"
Her stomach lurched. "That's not—"
Barnes cut her off. "Miss Rowan, you were found at the scene unconscious,with Miss Wren's car totaled. You're aware she's in a coma?"
Lena looked away. "Is she—will she—"
"She's alive," Martin said, softer now. "Barely."
Barnes snapped the folder shut. "We may need you to come down for a formal statement when you're discharged. Until then,don't leave town."
Lena gave a weak nod.When they left, the door hadn't even clicked shut before it opened again.
"Len?"
The familiar voice made her heart jolt. It was her brother, Eli, standing in the doorway. Seventeen,thin as a wire, hospital wristband still peeking from under his sleeve.He''d probably signed himself out again just to find her.
"Eli,"she whispered."I'm sorry I dragged you into this"
He hurried to her side, eyes wide with exhaustion and fear. "I saw the news. They're saying—" He stopped, voice cracking. "They're saying you hurt that woman."
"I didn't," Lena said quickly. "It wasn't—Eli, I swear, it wasn't me."
He nodded too fast, as if he could force belief into existence. "I know. You wouldn't. You wouldn't hurt anyone."
She brushed his damp hair back from his forehead."I'm sorry I made you come."
"So do you," he muttered. Then, more quietly"What happens now?"
Lena looked toward the window. "I don't know."
The door opened again and this time without a knock.The change in the air was immediate when Damon walked in. Eli turned,instinctively stepping closer to his sister.
Lena's pulse jumped. "Miss Rowan."
Eli's shoulders squared, though his frame trembled. "Who are you?"
Damon's gaze flicked over him, unbothered. "Family, I presume?"
"I'm her brother."
"Then you'll want to hear this."
He stepped further in, closing the distance between them.
Lena's fingers gripped the sheets. "You shouldn't be here."
"I disagree," Damon said. "My girlfriend currently lies in a coma and the only person who saw it happen has somehow become the media's favorite villain. I think that gives me the right to visit."
Eli moved in front of her. "If you came here to threaten her—"
Damon's eyebrow lifted slightly. "Threaten her? No, Mr. Rowan. I came here to offer her a way out."
Lena frowned. "A way out of what?"
Damon's eyes found hers, steady and cold. "The police investigation. The debt collectors constantly waiting outside your door. The press that's already labeled you a threat. For attempted murder."
Eli's voice rose. "She would never kill anyone!"
Damon ignored him completely. "You want to protect your brother, Miss Rowan? Then listen very carefully."
"Leave my brother out of this." Lena spat.
"This has everything to do with your brother, believe me." He reached into his pocket and dropped a folded document onto the tray table where the previous envelope rested.
Lena stared at it. "What is that?"
"A contract."
Eli's hand shot out first, snatching it before she could. "She's not signing anything."
Damon's gaze flicked to him with scrutiny."Then you're condemning her."
Eli hesitated, his breath quick. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," Damon said, turning slightly toward the window, "that in less than twelve hours, my PR team will release a statement identifying Miss Rowan as an unstable acquaintance who sabotaged my girlfriend's car out of jealousy. With the footage circulating, public opinion will do the rest. She'll be finished."
He turned back to Lena.
"Unless," he continued softly, "she helps me fix this."
The room went silent.
Eli's voice cracked. "Fix it how?"
Damon's expression didn't change. "By becoming her."
Lena blinked. "Becoming—?"
"Amara," he said. "Temporarily. Just long enough to stabilize the merger and quiet the press. You'll sign a marriage license, appear in public a few times and vanish again when the time comes."
Eli's voice broke. "That's insane."
Damon didn't even glance at him. "two hundred thousand dollars. All debts cleared. Your brother's treatment paid in full."
He took a glance at the previous envelope. "Have you gone through the previous envelope?"
"That is more than we agreed on."
Damon shrugged. "And the question is why Miss Rowan? Why would my girlfriend pay you half a million dollars for a mere portrait if you claim you were never friends. Did you blackmail her?"
Lena felt the air leave her lungs."Why would I do that? What power could a freelance artist like me have over her?"
He stopped pacing, turned to face her fully. "Her lawyers can't process her shares without her signature. If the media learns she's in a coma, everything collapses. But if she's seen, even briefly it buys us time."
She stared at him. "You want me to pretend to be Amara?"
"You look enough like her from a distance. With a bit of makeup,hair, lighting and the right photographers. We stage a quiet civil signing. A marriage license. Publicly, she and I become husband and wife.Privately, she stays in recovery. You walk away afterward — debt cleared, charges dropped."
Lena's heart hammered against her ribs.
"That's ridiculous."
"I'm giving you the only way out" His expression didn't change from how stoic it was.
She tried to laugh, but it came out broken. "And if I refuse?"
He bent slightly, close enough that she could see the shadow under his eyes,the line of tiredness that drew around like a scar."Then I'll make sure that every camera in this country paints you as the reason Amara Wren may never wake up."
He straightened himself,buttoned his jacket,and left the room as quietly as he came.Lena stared after him in disbelief and anger but somewhere deep inside her heart,a thought she hated began to take shape — that Damon Hale wasn't bluffing.