Juliet Dunn had no idea when she'd blacked out, but when she came to, she was lying in bed. Damien Freeman was right beside her, carefully tending to her wounds. His own burned hands were already wrapped in bandages.
"Juliet, just hang in there, okay? Charleigh's struggling because she's so close to Jace. She can't have kids, and even though she'll never admit it, it eats at her," Damien murmured, his voice soft as silk. "I swear, after Jace's third birthday, we'll leave—together."
Juliet stared at the man in front of her, so different from the brute he'd been the night before, and said flatly, "No need. I can leave right now."
"Juliet, don't rush. I know you care about Jace. I just wanted you to see he's doing okay," Damien insisted, his tone coaxing her like she was a spooked animal.
Juliet kept her cool and shot back, "What you're really telling me is he's doing just fine without me, right?"
"Juliet, please don't make this harder than it has to be," he pleaded.
He was about to say more when a sudden ring cut him off. The moment he stepped out to handle it, Charleigh Mason swept in and slapped Juliet clean across the face.
"Look at you, all high and mighty now. Didn't Damien fill you in? No matter how pitiful you act, with your background, you'll never be good enough for the Freeman family," Charleigh spat, her voice dripping with scorn.
Juliet felt the hot sting on her cheek but didn't flinch. She couldn't deny the truth anymore. Ever since she'd learned the reality, everything clicked—why the marriage was hush-hush, why Damien never showed his face with her in public. It wasn't about protecting her; she was nothing but a bird in a gilded cage, a goddamn means to an end.
Charleigh drank in the look on Juliet's face with obvious satisfaction. She settled into a chair with exaggerated grace and went on, "You've met Jace now. Do you seriously still think he's yours? From the day he was born, I've been the only mother he's ever known. To him, you're just the woman who upsets his mom."
Juliet clenched her fists, fighting the tremors running through her body. "Enough, Mrs. Freeman. Don't worry, I'm leaving."
Charleigh gave a strange little smile. "As long as you get it. But no need to hurry off. After all, you are Jace's biological mother. You should at least stick around for his third birthday party."
In the days that followed, Juliet got zero peace despite her promise to go. Charleigh stuck her with piano and golf practice with Jace, letting the kid mock and torment her without holding back, constantly hammering home that Juliet never belonged in this world.
Damien couldn't possibly have missed what was going on, yet he did jack shit. All he sent her way were transaction alerts on her phone—each one a little payoff for her "good behavior."
But Juliet was way past caring. Her only prayer was to get out as soon as possible.
Jace's birthday bash was tomorrow, and she had a one-way ticket to England booked.
