Page 141 of What Comes Around

I didn't even hesitate when I arranged the kidnapping. I used a burner phone. I’d given them instructions. Clear. Simple. Take her. Break her. Deliver her somewhere she couldn’t crawl back from. Somewhere men like the ones I’d known in Dubai would pay well for a girl like her.

It was what she deserved.

And they still failed. Useless, incompetent animals.

She escaped.

Even worse, Knox had protected her afterward. Stayed beside her. Watched over her like she was important. Like she was precious.

The memory made something bitter and hot twist in my chest.

She wasn’t supposed to be protected. She was supposed to disappear. But somehow she evaded and took the one thing that mattered most.

Knox.

Knox wasn’t just a man. He was everything I’d worked for. Security. Status. Real power. With Knox, I wouldn’t have to worry about follower counts or brand deals. I’d be untouchable.

And he had chosen me. Before Ashley slithered into his life, he’d looked at me like I was the only woman in the room. I’d seen it. I knew it.

Then Ashley appeared, and suddenly I was yesterday’s news.

Just like high school.

The old bitterness rose in my throat like bile.

Every guy had wanted her. They slept with me, but they wanted her. Even Nick, my first real love, had wanted Ashley.

But this time was different. This time I had something she couldn’t take.

I was pregnant with Knox’s baby and once the results came back, he’d know. He’d see we were connected, whether he liked it or not.

I caught my reflection again. Still beautiful. Still perfect. The cancellation hadn’t changed that. They could scream online all they wanted, but they couldn’t take away what I’d built. I was still Apple Richards. Still relevant. Still important.

I could fix this. I would fix this.

Knox would come around once he knew I was carrying his baby, once he saw through Ashley’s manipulation. She’d slip up eventually. And when she did, I’d be there to pick up the pieces.

The internet would forget too. They always did. Some new scandal would distract them, and I’d quietly rebuild.

I opened Instagram again. The hate was still there, but so were the loyal ones.

You’re beautiful, Apple. Don’t let them tear you down. The truth will come out. Ashley is the real villain.

I liked the comment.

Then I started drafting the post I’d release once the DNA results confirmed everything. Something vulnerable. Something that would remind people I was human.

I never wanted to share this publicly.

I hoped to handle this privately, with dignity.

But after weeks of lies, harassment, and attempts to silence me, I have no choice.

The truth always comes out.

Knox is—

Another notification popped up, interrupting my draft.