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Romance novel223

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A sharp pain shot across Naomi&#039;s face and throughout her body. She shook violently, her sense of warmth fading. She&#039;d been betrayed by loved ones: boyfriend, parents, sister. A chilling plot. They bled her dry and weren&#039;t content; they drugged her, forged her signature, and scripted her organ donation.<br /> <br /> Naomi swore that she would get back at her so-called family. Not recognizing Shawn in her past life was a huge mistake. But life had thrown her a second chance, and she was going to take it—to get even and to show thanks.<br /> <br /> Chapter 1 Get Off Me<br /> &quot;Do you take this woman to be your wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?&quot; asked a priest.<br /> <br /> The man before the priest nodded. &quot;I do.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi Edwards felt a sharp tug on her hair, forcing her to look up at the jumbotron. On the big screen, the wedding of Freddy Sanders and her sister, Rosalind Edwards, unfolded. Freddy, all decked out in his sharp suit, gazed deeply into Rosalind&#039;s eyes. She dazzled in her perfect white dress. Parents and guests in their Sunday best were clapping like crazy.<br /> <br /> The priest went on, &quot;And do you take this man to be your husband, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?&quot;<br /> <br /> The gleeful Rosalind shyly said, &quot;I do.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Look at that. Your boyfriend, your sister, your parents—over the moon, and you&#039;re just a toy they&#039;ve tossed to me, the crummiest one at that. You loser,&quot; a man hissed at Naomi. He booted her in the gut so hard that she doubled over, a taste of iron in her mouth before spitting out blood.<br /> <br /> &quot;Loser, loser, loser!&quot; He kept on kicking her, out of his mind with rage. &quot;You play by my rules now. Who&#039;s gonna see your pretty face, huh? Women are trash; you all deserve to die!&quot;<br /> <br /> He added, &quot;Don&#039;t even dream of running; you&#039;re already dead to everyone. Your family and your man—they served you up to me on a silver platter. You&#039;re supposed to be dead, a saint who gave up her organs for your precious sister, and died for it. How heroic!&quot;<br /> <br /> His shiny shoe pressed against Naomi&#039;s cheek, twisting his face into a mad grin. &quot;Savor it, sweetheart.&quot;<br /> <br /> A sharp pain shot across Naomi&#039;s face and throughout her body. She shook violently, her sense of warmth fading. She&#039;d been betrayed by loved ones: boyfriend, parents, sister. A chilling plot. They bled her dry and weren&#039;t content; they drugged her, forged her signature, and scripted her organ donation.<br /> <br /> Rosalind&#039;s future was written in Naomi&#039;s blood, and now they were after her life. They harvested her insides and then threw her to this devil for their fancy lives.<br /> <br /> Another kick sent Naomi flying, rag-doll style, against the wall and hitting the floor with a thud.<br /> <br /> Unable to move because of the pain, she murmured to herself, &#039;It hurts... Someone help me! Freddy, Rosalind, I swear I&#039;ll haunt you forever!&#039;<br /> <br /> Her sight blurred with blood, and then the world went black.<br /> <br /> *****<br /> <br /> &quot;Get off me.&quot; A voice, deep and tinged with fury, buzzed in Naomi&#039;s ear. She jerked awake to see a guy glaring intently at her. A shiver ran down her spine involuntarily, and she curled her fingers so tight that her nails dug into her palms. Her body ached all over.<br /> <br /> She wondered, &#039;I&#039;m supposed to be dead, aren&#039;t I? I got beaten up in that awful room. Wait, am I getting a second shot at life?&#039;<br /> <br /> The man who just spoke shoved her, and she hit the ground, sunlight blinding her. Tears streamed down her face at the warm sunlight—it had been forever since she last felt it.<br /> <br /> Pulling herself together, Naomi recognized the man. In her old life, Rosalind had pushed Naomi off a mountain for refusing to be her blood donor during Naomi&#039;s heavy periods. Rosalind then had Freddy trick Naomi into that hike and then shove her from behind.<br /> <br /> After the push, Freddy faked a text from Naomi about guilt over not helping Rosalind. And this guy had saved her once before, but she&#039;d freaked out at his scary look and run away. This time, she&#039;d be grateful.<br /> <br /> &quot;Thanks for saving me,&quot; Naomi said, getting to her feet. The man was tall, around six feet three inches, wearing a long black coat, and despite his scarred face, he was kind of hot.<br /> <br /> The man, Shawn Fischer, looked at her coldly, but she wasn&#039;t afraid.<br /> <br /> &quot;I can help you,&quot; Naomi offered. &quot;I know about medicine; I can fix your scars.&quot;<br /> <br /> In her past life, helping Rosalind wrecked her health until she met Wilson Walter, a medicinal guru who taught her to heal. He said to keep it secret, for personal use only.<br /> <br /> &quot;Your name?&quot; Shawn grunted. His voice was deep and smooth, striking a familiar chord with Naomi.<br /> <br /> &quot;Naomi Edwards, and I want to stick with you,&quot; she said firmly. She messed up in her old life, falling for Rosalind&#039;s fake apologies. And with Freddy backing Rosalind up, she let it slide too quickly.<br /> <br /> If she was going to get back at her so-called family, she had to step it up. Not recognizing Shawn in her past life was a huge mistake. But life had thrown her a second chance, and she was going to take it—to get even and to show thanks.<br /> <br /> &quot;Stick with me?&quot; Shawn looked intrigued. Most women freaked out over his scarred face, but not her.<br /> <br /> Without hesitation, Naomi confirmed, &quot;Yes.&quot;<br /> <br /> Shawn then opened his arms, and his voice drew her in. &quot;Come here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi moved towards him and hugged him right away. Shawn stood frozen. When she&#039;d literally fallen onto him, he didn&#039;t feel the usual disgust. Now, he needed to figure out—was it just a one-time thing, or could it be that she didn&#039;t actually gross him out?<br /> <br /> Shawn didn&#039;t do well around women—full-blown &quot;haphephobia&quot; ever since he was a kid. No woman could get near, except for one who disappeared after his car crash. He&#039;d given up on women, but Naomi? She was a mystery. He started wondering who sent her over.<br /> <br /> Chapter 2 Stick With Him<br /> Naomi let Shawn&#039;s hesitant embrace linger just a bit, sensing his restraint.<br /> <br /> She noticed his reaction to her presence first, no sign of discomfort. She was a breath of fresh air that seemed to settle rather than disturb him. When Shawn hugged her more firmly, he still seemed at ease. Then, he stepped back. &quot;So you&#039;re serious about sticking with me?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Yeah,&quot; Naomi said, no doubt in her voice. &quot;Totally.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You have no idea who I am, and you&#039;re ready to tag along?&quot; Shawn sized her up. Naomi stood at a respectable five feet six inches, with a balanced and athletic build. Her makeup-free face was radiant in the sun, her light fuzz catching the light. Naomi&#039;s amber eyes, framed by long lashes, sparkled with determination, her features sharp yet delicate. Without any bangs, her long, sleek hair fell down her back. She should have turned heads everywhere, but her vibe was more grit than glam.<br /> <br /> &quot;You saved me,&quot; Naomi stated with conviction. &quot;That&#039;s all that matters right now. I owe you.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Attaching yourself to my hip then?&quot; Curiosity piqued, Shawn raised an eyebrow, teasing. &quot;Thinking of using yourself as the payback?&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi&#039;s lips tightened into a thin line. &quot;I might, though I doubt I&#039;m your type.&quot;<br /> <br /> Shawn chuckled, a real one. He&#039;d intimidated so many women away, yet here she was, offering herself and worrying he&#039;d say no. His body hadn&#039;t rejected her, so he decided to let her stick around. &quot;Okay, you&#039;re in.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Thanks, really,&quot; Naomi said with a subtle but sly grin. She scored—that much was clear.<br /> <br /> She knew exactly who was in front of her—the legendary, elusive Shawn Fischer from Atopan. Tales of his cutthroat nature were famous, as were the stories of his deep love that ended when a car accident disfigured him, leading to a runaway bride at the altar.<br /> <br /> In her last life, Naomi was just like every other woman, spooked by Shawn&#039;s scars. But not this time. She was dead set on holding tight to him. Shawn was her ace card, whether it was for repayment or revenge.<br /> <br /> Shawn led the way, striding. Naomi hurried after him, debunking the gossip that he&#039;d been wheelchair-bound after the crash. The guy was all grace and power.<br /> <br /> When Naomi first met Shawn in her last life, she had run too fast to look around. Now, trailing behind Shawn, she took everything in.<br /> <br /> Soon the Edwards family and Freddy would come looking for her—right after Naomi&#039;s fall, Rosalind got sick and needed a blood transfusion. Previously, Freddy had dragged Naomi to the hospital while she was still weak from her period, and they&#039;d taken so much blood for Rosalind. It nearly killed her. But Naomi wasn&#039;t playing the martyr this time; she wanted Rosalind to feel the bite of desperation for once.<br /> <br /> Naomi kept her head down as she walked, hiding the hatred that bubbled up in her eyes. She was going to stick close to Shawn and grab every chance to get stronger. That way, when Freddy and the Edwards family came to pawn her off on that devil, she&#039;d be ready to stand up for herself. After dying once, trust didn&#039;t come easy to her.<br /> <br /> Shawn stopped suddenly, and Naomi, not paying attention, bumped into his back. She gasped, feeling as if she just hit a wall.<br /> <br /> A smile that Shawn didn&#039;t even realize had crept onto his face. &quot;Be careful,&quot; he said.<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, sorry,&quot; responded Naomi.<br /> <br /> Now keeping her distance, Naomi followed Shawn to a sleek black Rolls-Royce that waited ahead. A young man in a sharp suit stood by it. He straightened up and opened the door as soon as he saw Shawn. The guy&#039;s eyes then landed on Naomi trailing behind and he blurted out, &quot;Mr. Fischer, who&#039;s this girl? Are we taking her in?&quot;<br /> <br /> Shawn gave him a look, and Chandler Jensen clamped his mouth shut. His eyes were full of questions, but Naomi stayed cool. The car drove off smoothly.<br /> <br /> Sitting in the fancy car, Naomi kept her eyes steady. She wasn&#039;t about to let curiosity get her in trouble with the guy sitting next to her. She got a do-over in life and wasn&#039;t planning on finding out just how tough Shawn could be for herself.<br /> <br /> They pulled up to the famous Spring Villa in Atopan. The place was huge, with acres of land and a big white house sitting on the edge of a cliff. The electric gates opened, showing off a tree-lined driveway. After a twenty-minute ride through some nice greenery, they came to a giant fountain with a statue of a woman in the middle, with colorful fish swimming around in the water that shot up in sync with music every thirty minutes.<br /> <br /> Past the fountain, another ten-minute drive took them to a massive pool right in front of the villa. The Rolls-Royce stopped at the fancy front door. Chandler stepped out and held the door open, asking with respect, &quot;Mr. Fischer, is the young lady staying?&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi&#039;s hands clenched tight. Nervous but hopeful, she looked at Shawn and quickly said before he could dismiss her, &quot;I&#039;ll work hard, Mr. Fischer. I&#039;ll do anything to pay you back.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Chandler, take her to Carla,&quot; ordered Shawn.<br /> <br /> &quot;Sure thing.&quot; Chandler&#039;s face didn&#039;t show it, but he was totally surprised inside. Everyone knew Shawn didn&#039;t like having women around. But here was Naomi, back safe and sound, and Shawn didn&#039;t seem bothered at all.<br /> <br /> &quot;Come with me, Ms. Edwards,&quot; Chandler said, his voice filled with a bit more respect now.<br /> <br /> &quot;Thanks,&quot; Naomi said, her voice soft and polite as she followed Chandler to meet Carla Roberts, the housekeeper of Spring Villa who was in charge of the whole staff and got a chauffeur herself. Chandler was the head of security. Everyone working at Spring Villa knew to keep their distance from Shawn, except for Carla and Chandler, who could go around him without any trouble.<br /> <br /> After Chandler handed Naomi over to Carla, he left.<br /> <br /> Carla looked Naomi over and nodded. &quot;Alright, come with me!&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi was taken upstairs to a big bedroom. &quot;Get cleaned up, then put this on and head to the first bedroom on the left on the third floor. That&#039;s Mr. Fischer&#039;s room.&quot;<br /> <br /> Chapter 3 Prove Yourself<br /> Naomi washed up, taking a deep breath before she slipped into the black silk nightgown Carla had given her. The deep black went well with her tanned skin, making it look soft and glowing. She had a balanced, athletic figure, and she could see in the mirror that her face, clean and fresh like a newly opened flower, was now pink from the warm water. At twenty, she was in the prime of her youth, her body buzzing with energy.<br /> <br /> In her old life, Rosalind couldn&#039;t stand Naomi&#039;s glowing face and toned physique and tried more than once to hurt her, pretending to be sleepwalking. But Freddy had put a stop to it because their potential buyer, a man as nasty as they come, wouldn&#039;t want a woman with a marked-up face.<br /> <br /> Naomi saw her own smile in the mirror, mysterious at first and then blooming into something sweet and warm. This time around, even with Shawn&#039;s reputation for wrecking beauty, she was determined not to live through the nightmares of her past.<br /> <br /> Following Carla&#039;s directions, Naomi made her way to the third floor without hesitation and walked straight to the first bedroom on the left. She gently turned the handle and pushed the unlocked door open. The room was dark except for a flickering light casting an eerie, red hue.<br /> <br /> &quot;I&#039;m here, Mr. Fischer,&quot; Naomi called out quietly, stepping onto the cool floor.<br /> <br /> Click—the lights flipped on suddenly, forcing Naomi to blink and shield her eyes until they adjusted to the brightness. She found herself in a spacious bedroom, elegantly furnished and divided into different areas. There was an office space with floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall and bookshelves lining the others, filled with an assortment of books. A large, sleek desk sat in front of the bookcases, its surface organized with just a few papers and a laptop.<br /> <br /> Shawn was relaxed in his chair behind the desk, holding a cigarette between his fingers, his laid-back pose unchanged as his intense eyes took her in.<br /> <br /> The first thing he noticed was how gorgeous Naomi was, especially in that black gown.<br /> <br /> Shawn cleared his throat quietly, showing no sign of being put off—maybe this unexpected guest was just what he needed.<br /> <br /> &quot;Prove you&#039;re serious if you want to stick with me,&quot; he said in a deep, casual tone. Naomi hesitated, feeling her face heat up and her body respond without her permission. Then, with shaky hands, she let her nightgown fall to the floor and stepped toward Shawn. She tried to stay calm, but she couldn&#039;t stop the nervous excitement that raced through her.<br /> <br /> Never before, not even in her two lives or when she&#039;d been pushed to her limits by that cruel man, had she offered herself to a man like this. It felt like the right way to thank Shawn for rescuing her, now and in her past life. Plus, she&#039;d heard he didn&#039;t have much interest in women, so she figured she might be safe from his advances.<br /> <br /> &quot;Have you done this before?&quot; Shawn suddenly asked.<br /> <br /> Caught off guard, Naomi whispered a soft &quot;Never.&quot;<br /> <br /> Freddy had always been Rosalind&#039;s; Naomi was just used as a shield, a decoy to provide Rosalind with her blood. There had been zero romance between Freddy and her, not even a simple touch.<br /> <br /> Shawn got up and walked over, only to find him cool with her being there. It looked like he was actually okay with her presence.<br /> <br /> &quot;Now get dressed and leave,&quot; Shawn said before he walked into the next room, leaving Naomi with the message that he wasn&#039;t going to touch her—not until he figured her out. Anyway, Shawn had always seen women as more trouble than they were worth.<br /> <br /> Naomi was caught off guard but didn&#039;t ask any questions. She quickly slipped back into her silky gown and went downstairs. She knew that Shawn had his defenses up, and if she was going to make it here, she had to make sure she never grossed him out.<br /> <br /> Carla was waiting on the second floor, and seeing Naomi in one piece, her smile widened, and she seemed even friendlier. &quot;Congrats, Ms. Edwards.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi was puzzled but remained courteous. &quot;Thanks, Carla. I&#039;m not really sure what for, though.&quot;<br /> <br /> Carla&#039;s grin had this know-it-all vibe as she said, &quot;Ms. Edwards, you&#039;re the first lady Mr. Fischer&#039;s ever brought home and let stay overnight. Even his last girl didn&#039;t get to step foot in here.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi zeroed in on the phrase &quot;his last girl&quot;. So, there was someone special to Shawn before.<br /> <br /> She just couldn&#039;t get a solid read on what Shawn or Carla were thinking. Back in her old life, except for that one time he saved her, she really didn&#039;t have any contact with him. All she knew about the guy was through gossip.<br /> <br /> Shawn had wanted her to prove she was for real, and it looked like she&#039;d passed the test. Lying in the soft, cozy bed, Naomi let herself shut her eyes, finally feeling a bit of peace. Her family was probably freaking out by now. She let out a little smirk; the real show was just getting started.<br /> <br /> *****<br /> <br /> Late at night, Chandler carried Naomi&#039;s thorough file up to Shawn. &quot;Mr. Fischer, I&#039;m positive that Ms. Edwards isn&#039;t part of anyone&#039;s game.&quot;<br /> <br /> Shawn was drumming his fingers on his desk. If Naomi was around, she would get a glimpse of his real looks—a face so striking it could be carved from marble, flawless and unmarred. &quot;If that&#039;s what you think, then she stays.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Got it. By the way, the Edwards family is freaking out trying to find Ms. Edwards. Should we clue her in?&quot; Chandler was feeling pretty ticked off for Naomi; the Edwards wanted her around just so Rosalind could get her blood fixes. Being born into the Edwards family wasn&#039;t lucky; it was sad to see how Javier and Victoria Edwards, Naomi&#039;s parents, didn&#039;t give two hoots about their younger daughter&#039;s health, making her give blood to Rosalind for a whole decade since she started it at just ten.<br /> <br /> Chandler couldn&#039;t wrap his head around how the Edwards family had guilt-tripped Naomi into feeling like she was at fault, like not giving blood was a sin on her part. Thankfully, she bumped into Shawn.<br /> <br /> Chandler had grown up around Shawn and worked as his assistant, although Shawn treated him more like family than staff. With Shawn all cool about Naomi being around, Chandler guessed Shawn might keep her close to get in his grandma&#039;s good graces. And knowing Naomi was no threat, Chandler started to hope that she might be the one, the person to bring some light into Shawn&#039;s life.<br /> <br /> &quot;Tell her when she wakes up,&quot; Shawn said, lighting a cigarette and thumbing through Naomi&#039;s file until he hit her picture—a girl with bright eyes and a knockout smile, pure and seemingly untouched by life&#039;s darker sides. But the Naomi he&#039;d saved had eyes full of confusion and a fierce kind of anger that this smiling girl in the picture couldn&#039;t even hint at.<br /> <br /> Chapter 4 Her Naïve Old Self<br /> The next morning, Naomi was up with the sun, ready to head back to the Edwards manor. She was curious to see how Rosalind would fare without her giving blood.<br /> <br /> Chaos had erupted at the Edwards manor, and Victoria looked like a total wreck. Her usual polished, chic look had taken a hit with dark bags under her bloodshot eyes. Spotting Naomi, she stormed over and raised her hand to hit Naomi.<br /> <br /> Naomi was quick, grabbing Victoria&#039;s wrist in mid-swing; her eyes were icy, enough to give anyone chills, and her voice was just as cold. &quot;What&#039;s this about?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;You brat, where were you all night? Are you trying to off your sister?&quot; Victoria&#039;s face twisted in fury as she spat out insults. &quot;You&#039;ve got some nerve blocking me! After all I&#039;ve done for you, you dare stand up to me?&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi pushed back hard, sending Victoria staggering. Victoria was boiling over with worry and fury, itching to go after Naomi, whose calm face was like a slap in the face itself. With Rosalind lying weak in the hospital, still not out of the emergency room, and Naomi acting like it was no big deal, the reality stung. If it weren&#039;t for Naomi being a spot-on blood match for Rosalind, Victoria and Javier wouldn&#039;t have bothered adopting her. They thought being taken in by them was Naomi&#039;s big break.<br /> <br /> &quot;Naomi, you&#039;re coming to the hospital with me right now for a blood transfusion,&quot; Victoria declared, yanking out her phone to call Javier. &quot;Naomi&#039;s back, and she&#039;s coming in.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi gazed at her with an icy look, a smirk playing on her face. &quot;Cool, but first I need to pack my things.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Pack what? Everything you own was paid for by the Edwards family. You drag your feet, and I&#039;ll make sure you regret it.&quot; Victoria threatened.<br /> <br /> Naomi brushed off the seething Victoria. Sure, she was brought up in the Edwards&#039; fancy digs, but she hadn&#039;t forgotten how poorly Victoria and Javier had always treated her.<br /> <br /> Back in the day, she hadn&#039;t dwelled on it much, but after hitting rock bottom, it hit her: to the Edwards family, she was just a disposable tool.<br /> <br /> Naomi and Rosalind were both into design. Naomi had talent, sketching original designs way before hitting college. She even had an online comic series. Rosalind, always playing the weakling, would swipe Naomi&#039;s work, claim it as her own, and cash in on the licensing deals. She even had her eye on Naomi&#039;s big end-of-year project.<br /> <br /> Naomi could still remember, from her prior life, crying in front of the TV, feeling low as Rosalind got praise for Naomi&#039;s work, scooped up awards, and played humble while Naomi was stashed away by Freddy.<br /> <br /> Freddy had argued that since Rosalind won and Naomi was the younger, sturdy sister, the spotlight was rightly Rosalind&#039;s. Naomi could have her turn at fame later, he&#039;d said.<br /> <br /> The night Rosalind won with Naomi&#039;s designs, while Victoria, Javier, and Freddy were out living it up, Naomi was locked down in the Edwards manor&#039;s cold, dark basement, left to deal with the chill and her hunger alone.<br /> <br /> Naomi charged into her room and scrambled her stuff together. She snagged just her books and the design drafts she was still tweaking. Anything from the Edwards family&#039;s fancy house? She didn&#039;t want any of it.<br /> <br /> With her backpack slung on, she raced down the stairs where a bodyguard tried to stop her. She gave him a deathly cold look. &quot;I can show myself out, thanks.&quot;<br /> <br /> Victoria flinched from Naomi&#039;s icy stare, taking a step back without meaning to. Shaking it off, she lost her cool. &quot;Naomi, you little snake, you better straighten up!&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;If I&#039;m a snake, you&#039;re the head honcho, right? I mean, you&#039;re the one who brought me up, so any shifty moves I&#039;ve got come straight from you,&quot; Naomi snapped back with a blank face. &quot;Shouldn&#039;t you be at the hospital already? If you&#039;re any later, Rosalind might not make it!&quot;<br /> <br /> Victoria lifted her hand, ready to hit Naomi, but a mocking scoff from Naomi froze her in place. &quot;Go for it. Hit me. Knock me out if you want to. Then let&#039;s see who&#039;ll roll up their sleeve for Rosalind.&quot;<br /> <br /> Naomi&#039;s laid-back yet cutting tone made Victoria so mad she looked ready to explode. She mused, &#039;How has Naomi flipped her attitude overnight like this? But right now, Rosalind&#039;s crisis is front and center.&#039;<br /> <br /> *****<br /> <br /> Over at the hospital. The minute Freddy spotted Naomi, he looked like a huge weight lifted off him. He made a beeline for her, gearing up to chide her, but the chill in her glare twisted his lecture into a pretend show of care.<br /> <br /> &quot;Naomi, where did you go last night? I tore the place apart looking for you; I was freaking out.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Really?&quot; Naomi pulled her eyes away with a silent, mocking laugh. &#039;Yeah, Freddy was scared all right—scared I&#039;d bite the dust and leave Rosalind high and dry without her blood donor,&#039; she thought.<br /> <br /> Freddy continued, &quot;Don&#039;t even think about doing something stupid, Naomi. If not for yourself, at least think of your sister.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Drop it,&quot; Naomi interrupted him. &quot;What are you, my boyfriend or hers? You act like her life is worth more than mine.&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Naomi, when did you turn into ice?&quot; Freddy&#039;s eyes showed nothing but shock. &quot;What the heck happened yesterday? How can you say such cruel stuff?&quot;<br /> <br /> &quot;Oh, give me a break, Freddy! You go out with me and then hover around Rosalind like a lost puppy. We&#039;re through,&quot; Naomi said, her voice sharp and final. &quot;I&#039;m here just to break up with you. You&#039;re so obsessed with Rosalind; you two deserve each other, loser.&quot;<br /> <br /> With those parting words, she spun around and walked away.<br /> <br /> &quot;Naomi, don&#039;t even think about leaving.&quot; Javier closed in fast. &quot;You&#039;re an Edwards, and your duty is to look out for your sister. Where do you think you&#039;re off to? Get your butt back there and give her your blood.&quot;<br /> <br /> Javier&#039;s face was a mix of control and contempt. To him, Naomi was worth next to nothing—a life they pretty much bought on the cheap. Without their charity, she would&#039;ve been left to fade away in some orphanage. The way he saw it, giving blood was an honor they let her have.<br /> <br /> Back in her old life, Naomi had been so naïve, completely clueless to her parents&#039; selfish motives until it was too late. She was away for just one night, and when she came back refusing to give blood, it was like shining a spotlight on the real Victoria and Javier.<br /> <br /> She reflected inwardly, &#039;Why did I ever bring the idea that they were tough on me out of care for Rosalind? I even made lame excuses for the cruel Edwards family and for Freddy, telling myself they cared deep down, just too caught up with Rosalind&#039;s health issues. And all the games Freddy played? I thought it was my own fault and I should have just gone ahead and given blood right away. If Rosalind got worse, the blame would be on my shoulders. Man... If only I could shake some sense into my old self, so naive and completely tricked.&#039;

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