Page 179 of In Love with a Ruthless Man

Isola L’Eternita.

He had succumbed to having her one last time, and she had ended up hearing something that had endangered her life.

Fawn, I’m sorry.

This – this was fucking why it would never work between them.

Fawn, I’m sorry.

He heard Meredith say from the video, “Let’s play.”

And the nightmare continued.

“My first question is, and I know this is a bit of cheating, but it’s more like a free pass for you in case you want this to be over.” Meredith licked her lips, almost as if she could taste Fawn’s fear. “Do you know where Beatrice Crichton is being hidden?”

“No.” Fawn’s voice was flat.

“Wrong answer.” Meredith’s voice was equally flat.

The knife went up, and the video captured the reflection of Fawn’s frightened look on its blade.

And then Meredith started to carve an X just below Fawn’s right eye, deep enough to gouge the flesh, deep enough to scrapeagainst the bone, deep enough to prolong the pain without killing her victim.

Without killing Fawn.

On the small inlaid screen, the number one lit up, turning into blue.

And finally, the numbers began to make sense.

Someone began to cry.

Nick and Jason Christakos turned towards the prince, their whitened expressions saying everything they felt.

I’m sorry.

Everyone was crying—-

Except for the prince.

He remembered himself asking her,“May I ask...if you’re alright?”

He saw Fawn on her hospital bed, unable to face him in her pain, forced to raise her arm to give him a thumbs-up sign.

She was alright.

And he had chuckled—-

He had fucking chuckled.

In front of him, Fawn’s nightmare showed no signs of ending.

He watched Meredith snap her fingers, a man coming forward, leering at Fawn as he nearly shoved an iPad in Fawn’s face.Bile rose in his throat as he realized that the iPad showed a girl kissing him on the lips—-

“Do you still believe someone like this man would love you?”

“Yes.”

The knife went up.

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