Page 86 of My Husband’s New Fiancée

He lets out a rough cry. His grip loosens. The syringe slips from his fingers and skids beneath a stainless-steel counter.

I wrench myself free and come face-to-face with Bianca.

She’s standing there. Frozen. Terrified.

“Bianca…?”

The guilt in her eyes shatters me.

She’s part of this.

The man slowly straightens, one hand clenched between his legs. His murderous stare locks onto mine.

I bolt for the door.

He catches me before I can reach it and violently throws me backward.

I lose my balance.

Then—

The world explodes.

Agonizing pain erupts along the side of my skull as my head slams into a metal edge.

Then I crash hard onto the floor.

For one second, I can still make out the kitchen lights above me.

Blurred. Warped.

Bianca’s heels.

The stranger’s black combat boots.

Behind Bianca, a third pair of shoes.

And everything goes dark.

An alarm screams somewhere nearby.

The sound tears through my skull.

I grimace before I even open my eyes.

Pain hits immediately. Brutal. Like a hammer smashing into the right side of my head.

I try to move.

Every muscle in my body protests.

The air feels thick. Suffocating. And hot.

Far too hot.

I open my eyes, coughing.

Black smoke hangs beneath the red emergency lights. Flames surround me.