Love’s Last Breath novel

---- Chapter 3 Before Eugenia could get another word out, Vance pulled his hand away from her waist and walked over to Rosalea. Rosalea trembled from the pain but pushed through it. She had something urgent to say. "Vance, please, stop going after the Lovelaces. Clyde's got a bad leg, and he's already been blacklisted . He won't make it if you keep going after him." Vance had thought that she'd say something else.

She clearly cared about the Lovelaces, but why hadn't she shown that same concern for Augusta? Augusta hadn't just died. She'd died after being violated. Those pictures still haunted him every night, like a never-ending nightmare. Vance lost his parents when he was just a kid, and it was up to 15-year-old Augusta to look after him. The Greensteins were ready to swoop in and claim his inheritance . At only six, he had no way of stopping them.

Augusta stepped in, protecting him until he was old enough, then handed Greenstein Group over to him. He owed Augusta everything , and he never had the chance to make things right before the woman he ---- loved, Rosalea, took her life. Vance hated Rosalea. And he hated himself. He sneered. "I guess a bullet only hurts when it's coming for you. You'd better hope that you can hold on a little longer if you want your family to suffer less.

Otherwise , they'll go through hell that's a lot worse than this." All the hope drained from Rosalea's eyes. That was when she realized that her pleas wouldn't change a thing. She walked past the garden on her way back. It used to be filled with roses from all over the world, with an underground heating system that kept them thriving through the winter. The air had always been thick with their scent. Rosalea had always loved roses the most.

Vance had once told her that she was the most beautiful rose of all-the one that would always stay in full bloom in his heart. Acold gust of wind blew those memories out of her mind. Under the night sky, all she could smell was the grass from the garden. Rosalea pulled her coat tighter around her and stepped into the fake rock formation without hesitation. No one knew about the hidden tunnel beneath it that led outside. It was a secret Augusta had ---- shared with her long ago.

Rosalea had never hurt Augusta, that kind, gentle soul. She didn't know why Vance refused to believe her. She was about to crawl out of the tunnel when her hand grazed a small box. The tunnel was too dark and tight, so she waited until she was out to check it out. Rosalea stepped into a spooky forest. She didn't stick around for long. Relying on her memory, she found the road, flagged down a cab, and went straight to her destination.

Jessamine Seymour yanked the door to her villa open and froze when she saw Rosalea standing there. The sight nearly brought her to tears. She was about to pull Rosalea into a tight hug when the latter, sounding a little hesitant, asked, "Can you cover the cab fare? I don't have any cash on me." Jessamine fished out her wallet and handed the driver a hefty stack of bills. When she turned around, Rosalea was on the brink of fainting. Jessamine caught her just before she fell.

It was then that Jessamine realized how fragile Rosalea had become. She was all skin and bones. "How did you get so thin?" Jessamine asked.