And if something happened to Keen, she would havee back without a doubt.


    "If I had another choice, I wouldn''t have hurt them," Foreman said. "Don''t me me, Star. me Joshua for being so damn persistent. He watches you day and night, never leaving your side. Using Keen was the only way I could think of to draw him away from you. And this time, I finally seeded."


    Ste''s fists were clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. She was afraid she would lose control and p him again.


    The cold sensation of her own fingertips helped her calm down, her mind starting to clear. The ring on her finger had a tracking chip embedded in it. Joshua could still find her.


    Just then, Foreman''s lips curved into a smirk. He held up his hand, showing her a ring on his middle finger.


    "Star, I designed this matching set myself. Do you like it?"


    Instinctively, Ste looked down at her own hand. When she saw the unfamiliar ring on her finger, her heart sank into a pit of dread. Her matching ring with Joshua was gone.


    Foremanughed. "Honestly, fooling Joshua is no easy feat. Without the ring you were wearing, he would never have believed you were dead. And Joshua is unstable right now. The news of your death will make it very difficult for him to stay rational."


    "You''re despicable," Ste said through gritted teeth.


    Foreman took a step closer. "And Joshua is any better? He treated you like a toy. Does he think he can make up for his past mistakes with a few paltry gestures?"


    "When are you going to let me go?" Ste demanded coldly.


    "Star, everyone thinks you''re dead now," Foreman said. "We can leave this ce behind, live a normal, ordinary life."


    "So you''re not nning on letting me go? You want to keep me locked up forever?"


    Foreman gazed at her, his expression full of adoration. "Star, once things cool down, I''ll take you away from Novaris."


    Ste fell silent, her mind racing to find a way out. She couldn''t be missing for too long. Not only would her recent treatments be for nothing, but Joshua might actually... just as Foreman said.


    For a moment, her heart plunged


    into despair Last time, Leonard Lerman had only kidnapped her. This time, Foreman had


    ??????


    Orchestrated a fake death. It was viciously cruel move. How could


    Joshua possibly stay calm in the face of such a blow?


    Foreman''s gaze on her was feverish. He reached out to touch her face, but Ste turned her head away.


    A look of hurt, like a betrayal, crossed Foreman''s face.


    "Why can Joshua touch you? Why can Leonard? But I can''t?"


    He slowly undid the buttons of his shirt, closing the distance between them.


    "Star, no one will ever love you more than I do!"


    The night was dark and cold.


    The fire at the funeral home was finally extinguished. The scene was a wreck, its contents burned beyond recognition. The heat had been so tense that even the ss had melted, and the acrid smell of smoke hung heavy in the air.


    Jake watched Joshua''s face, his own palms slick with sweat.


    "Mr. Gardner, Ms. Cameron''sst known signal was tracked to this location..."


    But at the location of the signal, there was a charred body.


    Joshua''s gaze lost focus, his face pale. It felt like something inside his mind was about to snap. A was whirlwind of memories spun before his eyes, and a cacophony of sharp, arguing voices echoed in his head. In an instant a splitting headache tore through him.


    Joshua clutched his head, his expression contorted in pain.


    "Mr. Gardner," Harold, who was standing nearby, rushed to support him. A cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Not even in life-or-death situations had he ever felt this level of gut-wrenching anxiety.