Page 41 of Ruin Me Sweetly

As soon as I answered, she began to talk, but she wasn’t making sense. Someone else murmured something to her, and she took long, drawn-out breaths.

I was on my feet in an instant.

“Where are you? What happened? Are you okay?”

“I—she,” she said, only to stop and take another deep breath. “She tried to run me over at the supermarket. A man managed to grab me and pull me to one side.”

My blood ran cold, and I felt lightheaded. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

“I’m okay,” she said. “Just a little shaken.”

“I’m on my way. Is it the supermarket close to the church?”

“Yeah, the local one. I can’t believe this—the baby.”

I closed my eyes.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Ask the man to stay with you, baby.”

“Okay,” she sniffed.

I hung up and suddenly felt older than my years.

“She tried to run Bella over,” I said, my voice devoid of any emotion.

Michael stood up.

“I’ll get the security footage.”

I nodded, before turning and leaving Stefan’s office. I ran down the stairs, ignoring the lift, and didn’t stop until I reached my car. The drive was a blur. I didn’t snap out of the haze until I saw, with my own eyes, that Isabella was safe.

I nodded to the bodyguard as I held Bella, her whole body still trembling. Only two days ago, she’d been glowing over finding the perfect wedding dress. Now this.

His cover was blown now. A new guard would need to replace him until the psychotic bitch was caged.

Dark thoughts flooded my mind, far darker than anything I’d experienced before, but Sadie would pay. That was all I knew. She could take her anger and frustration out on me, but Bella and our baby?

That was unforgivable.

Chapter 21

Isabella

No one knew about the baby, but I was desperate to tell Amber. There was so much happening—dresses, flowers, cake, and attempted murder. Luckily, Amber had been busy with her studies, acquiring an actual social life rather than staying locked up in her room.

Luke was with me constantly. Even if I was just going to the bathroom, he’d stand up, ready to follow. The first time it happened, he simply stared at me, as if I were the problem. I’d had to spell out the word “boundary” for him.

It meant nothing to him.

But I did love sleeping in his arms every night. His dick had become my emotional support service animal. It soothed away all my stress and had me sleeping like a baby.

❧ ❧ ❧

I was in my office, planning the next exhibition for April, when my phone buzzed on the desk. An app notification. I tapped on it.

When it rained, it truly poured.

I glanced at it without much thought at first, still half-lost in spreadsheets and floor layouts. Then I actually read it. My stomach dropped somewhere near my shoes.