Reese

After six years of loving Julian Grayson and literally keeping him alive with her rare blood donations, Hazel Ashworth is just three days away from becoming his wife when he calls to cancel their wedding. 
The reason? Her half-sister Ivy has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and her dying wish is to marry Julian instead. Hazel watches in horror as Julian takes her handcrafted wedding dress to Ivy, who plans to wear it while stealing not just Hazel's fiancé, but her entire wedding—same venue, same date, even the same cake flavor. 
It's a devastating replay of their childhood, where Ivy's mother Eleanor destroyed Hazel's family by seducing her father and driving her mother to suicide, then spent years pushing Hazel out while Ivy took everything that was once hers. 
But this time, Hazel refuses to break like her mother did. She demands Julian's entire company and two million dollars as compensation, then shows up at the hospital to deliver Ivy's "wedding gift" in the most explosive way possible.
As Ivy plays the perfect dying victim and Julian remains blind to her manipulation, Hazel begins to suspect that her half-sister's illness might not be as terminal as everyone believes. When Ivy has the audacity to ask Hazel to witness her wedding to Julian, the gloves come off completely. 
Now Hazel must decide how far she's willing to go to expose the truth and reclaim what's rightfully hers, even if it means destroying the man she once loved in the process.

The Billionaire Backs Me Up

"Two weeks," I replied to Damien's question about Julian's hearing. "His doctor submitted some medical report about his condition requiring rest."


"I see." His voice carried a hint of suspicion that mirrored my own. "Are you concerned he might be stalling?"


I sighed, sinking deeper into my couch. "Honestly? Yes. But I have the signed papers now, and that's what matters. Julian Grayson will soon be officially my ex-husband, medical delays or not."


"And how do you feel about that?" Damien asked softly.


"Free," I said without hesitation. "Like I can finally breathe again."


His deep chuckle warmed me through the phone. "Good. That's exactly how you should feel."


After we hung up, I couldn't help but smile at how perfectly attuned Damien seemed to my emotions. It was almost scary how well he understood me—like he'd known me for years, not months.


Chapter 72