Chapter 7

For the next two weeks, Tristan searched relentlessly for Rose.

There was no trace of her anywhere—no credit card activity, no cell phone signal, and no flight records under her name. Late at night, he would sit alone in the dark, consumed by memories of her. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even hear Julian walk into the room.

Julian grabbed him by the collar, hauled him to his feet, and punched him square in the jaw.

"I warned you. I told you not to hurt Rose again. Did you not hear a single word I said?"

Tristan's head snapped to the side from the impact, but he merely threw his head back and let out a wild, unhinged laugh. He wiped the blood from his split lip, staring at Julian with eyes burning with rage.

"Warned me? Julian, Rose is my wife. You're just her brother-in-law. What right do you have to warn me about anything?"

"You think you're any better than me? You're the one who hurt her first. You left her at the altar."

"At least I stayed with her for two years. At least I gave her two years of happiness, even if it started as an act."

Tristan screamed the words, his face twisted in anger, but his voice broke halfway through. Collapsing into heavy sobs, he buried his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking violently.

"I was wrong. I know I was wrong now. I never really loved Vivienne. It was always Rose. I love Rose."

Julian stood there, his expression cold and unreadable as he watched his younger brother break down. After a long moment, his own eyes grew red, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms.

"I told you you'd regret it. I warned you, Tristan, but you didn't listen."

"You wanted to get back at me for marrying Vivienne. Well, congratulations. You succeeded."

Julian turned to leave, but paused in the doorway.

"Vivienne and I are getting a divorce."

Tristan's head shot up, his eyes wild with sudden fury.

"Don't you even think about it. You stole Vivienne from me once, and now you want to steal Rose? Over my dead body, Julian."

"As long as I'm alive, I will never divorce Rose. I will never let her go to you."

Julian didn't even flinch. A sad, nostalgic smile touched his lips.

"Even after two years with her, you still don't know her at all. You hurt her so deeply, all for Vivienne. She will never take you back."

He paused, then let out a bitter laugh.

"Not that she'll ever take me back, either."

...

Not long after Julian left, Vivienne walked into the house. She threw herself at Tristan, wrapping her arms around him with her face contorted in a mask of fake grief.

"Tristan, your brother doesn't love me at all. We've been married for two years, and he avoids me every single day. I know he's still obsessed with that awful Rose."

"And she pushed me into the fountain last week—she almost drowned me. You have to get revenge for me, baby."

Once, Tristan would have moved heaven and earth to avenge her. Now, he shoved her away, his voice as cold as ice.

"Did Rose really push you into that fountain, Vivienne?"

A brief flash of guilt crossed Vivienne's face. She knew exactly what had happened that day. She had tried to hurt Rose, and her plan had backfired. But she quickly recovered, glaring at him with venomous defiance.

"Who else would it be? Do you think I jumped in there myself?"

The second the words left her mouth, Tristan's hand shot out. He grabbed her jaw with such brutal force that she screamed.

"Do you really think I'm an idiot, Vivienne?"

"You used me for years. You manipulated me into plotting against Rose, made me hurt her, and now you expect me to get revenge for you?"

He squeezed so hard her jaw dislocated. Unable to speak, she could only make garbled, panicked noises.

Tristan smiled, a wild and unhinged expression, and pressed the glass jar with the formaldehyde fetus into her trembling hands.

"This is the baby you wanted so badly. Don't let it die."

"If anything happens to it, you will regret it."

Vivienne glanced down at the jar and let out a muffled shriek. She dropped it as if it were on fire.

Tristan caught the jar just before it shattered on the floor, his eyes flashing with violent rage. He grabbed her by the hair and beat her within an inch of her life.