Julian yanked my hair, stepped on my calf, and shoved my head toward the floor.
A ringing filled my ears.
The sound of laughter.
And Blair's sobs, mingling with Julian's voice: "Who the hell do you think you are, daring to touch my girl!"
"Ava, did you really think you were someone special to me?"
"It was just a bet. Why did you take it so seriously?"
My world spun. My makeup was a wreck. I was a clown who had crashed a royal ball, a complete joke. Yet I still clung to that last shred of affection for him, crying as I asked.
"Why?"
"Julian."
"Why?"
I cried, clinging to his leg, refusing to let him leave.
"Didn't you say you had a surprise for me?"
"Didn't you say you liked me?"
"Why would you do this?"
"Julian."
"Why?"
I woke from the nightmare and saw the clock glowing five-thirty in the morning. I shook some pills from the bottle and swallowed them dry, then headed to the kitchen to make breakfast when the doorbell rang.
A frantic, pounding sound.
It sounded like a demon clawing its way up from hell, its hands reaching for me. The moment I opened the door…
I saw a group of women standing on my doorstep.
One of them, a woman with an exquisitely made-up face, matched the photo in the magazine. I recognized her instantly.
Julian's fiancée.
Blair.
Blair crossed her arms, her eyes raking over me.
"So you're Ava?"
