Chapter 7

Joseph burst into the hospital with Tiana in his arms, his clothes half-soaked in her blood. As soon as he set foot in the hospital, she regained consciousness. The first thing she saw was his face. Before he could ask how she was, she slapped him across his face, weak as he was. "Save the act… and get lost!" She struggled to break free of his hold. Joseph didn't say a word, merely tightening his grip on her. However, his sprint toward the ER came to an abrupt stop. Tiana could hear his already pounding heartbeat speed up even more. It was so erratic that she worried it might break out of his chest. She followed his gaze to see Irene. She stood there calmly, flanked not only by the Quill family's household staff and butler but also by Stanley Jensen and Monica Brown, Tiana and Elliot's parents. There was also an elderly man Tiana found familiar, but she couldn't place him just yet. He looked to be about 60 or 70 years old. Joseph's arms loosened without warning. Right in front of everyone, he tossed Tiana to the floor like she was trash when he'd clutched her like his life depended on it just seconds ago. He didn't even look at her. The bruises on Tiana's body from Joseph's kick a few days ago had yet to fade. The fall nearly knocked the wind out of her in pain. However, he merely stepped around her like she was a heap of trash. Stanley and Monica didn't spare Tiana a glance, either. Irene, their goddaughter, was all they could see. Irene stepped forward with a sweet smile and put her arm through Joseph's. "What's going on, Joseph? Ana is the model I booked for my shoot, remember? Where am I going to find someone else like her now that you've made her end up like this?" "I couldn't reach you. Surveillance footage showed you getting into the Jensen family's car, so I thought Tiana took you," Joseph said, wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a kiss to her earlobe as Tiana watched. "I had to force her to tell me where you were, didn't I?" He shot Tiana a look of disgust. "She's as slippery as a snake. I went a little hard on her, but it's fine. It won't affect your shoot." Irene watched with mocking amusement as Tiana struggled to get to her feet, looking like a mess. She said, "The cars at home were all sent in for maintenance, so I asked Stanley and Monica to take me to the hospital." She smiled gently. "Were you really that worried? Look at how you wrecked my precious Ana. You really didn't need to go that far." She grabbed hold of Tiana, who wanted to head alone to the treatment room, then turned to the others. "Guys, I'll go with Ana to get her wounds cleaned up. She's been delicate since she was little—she'll cry forever over the tiniest scratch." Tiana's lips curled numbly. Irene was back to her usual habit of stepping on her to make herself look good. She was used to it. … In the treatment room, a nurse bandaged the gash at Tiana's temple. Irene tilted her head, admiring Tiana's ashen face. "Joseph put you through the wringer just now, huh? The cars weren't in for maintenance—I just asked your parents to pick me up on purpose. I wanted you to see just how ruthless Joseph can be to a woman he uses and tosses." Tiana frowned. It hurt. The nurse's touch hurt, and the fact that she was someone to be used and tossed also hurt. However, her frown was her only reaction. "Be smart and leave on your own." Irene toyed with her silky hair, looking like a princess who'd walked out of a painting. "If you're broke, I'll buy your plane ticket. Fly to the ends of the earth or wherever you want. Just stop humiliating yourself by clinging to a married man like Joseph."