She was afraid Christopher Sterling would leave.
"I won't leave. I'll stay here with you and the child."
"Mm-hm." Lana Sheffield finally breathed a sigh of relief.
...
As night fell, Rose Shaw sat alone on the living room sofa. The table before her was already covered in liquor bottles. She'd been drinking until now, but still felt numb.
She was slightly tipsy, but her mind was painfully clear.
'If only I could drink myself into oblivion.'
'Then my heart wouldn't ache so much. I wouldn't be in such torment.'
Images she tried so desperately to forget flooded her mind.
"Oh, still playing tough? Thinking of killing yourself? If you die, how are we supposed to collect our debt?"
"You really think you're so valuable?"
"Force-feed her the drug. In a little while, she'll be begging us."
"She's still a virgin!"
"Then we'd better keep her and have some real fun."
Rose Shaw shook her head desperately. "No! Don't! Get away from me! Get away!"
