Run Before the Papers Are Signed (Nicole Quinn) by Danni Rogers novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Cruz didn’t show up for a few days.

It wasn’t until Nicole was getting discharged that he finally showed his face again.

Angela was with him, smiling as she clung to his arm.

“Wow, Nicole, you bounced back fast. I’ve been sickly since I was a child. I only caught a little cold, but Cruz freaked out,” Angela said in a sweet voice. “He dragged me here for a checkup.”

Nicole kept folding her clothes, not even glancing up.

Cruz couldn’t stop staring, like he was trying to read her face.

Then out of nowhere, he said, “Good timing. We can give you a ride back. Angela’s place is getting redone, so she’s gonna stay with us for a while.”

Nicole zipped her suitcase and said, “Whatever.”

It didn’t matter. Once the month–long waiting period ended, they’d be done for good.

Cruz could let whoever he wanted move in. It was none of her

business.

Her lack of reaction seemed to darken his mood.

When they got back to the villa, he acted like he was mad, being lovey–dovey with Angela right in front of Nicole.

But no matter what tricks he tried, she just didn’t care.

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Chapter 3

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At dinner, Cruz peeled shrimp and hand–fed Angela.

Nicole kept eating, but it all tasted bland and dry, like chewing paper.

“Ah!” Angela yelped, scratching at her skin. “It itches!”

Nicole looked up and noticed a red rash spreading across Angela’s neck. Her breathing was also getting worse.

Cruz rushed over and scooped her up. “Call the doctor!”

The doctor came fast and said it was a peanut allergy.

Cruz glared and called over the maid, voice cold. “I told you many times that Angela can’t have peanuts! Why was there peanut butter in the food?”

The maid looked down, fidgeting with her apron and stealing a glance at Nicole. “Mrs. Yarbrough told me to. I’m sorry, Mr. Yarbrough. I’m just the maid.”

Nicole stood up in shock. The chair scraped loudly on the floor. “When did I ever-”

“Please, Mrs. Yarbrough, stop making excuses!” the maid suddenly yelled, cutting her off. “You told me you didn’t want Ms. Simpson here, and you were jealous of Mr. Yarbrough’s attention. You told me to teach her a lesson.”

“Nicole.”

Cruz’s voice was sharp, and the dining room felt like it dropped ten degrees.

He walked toward her, his shoes clicking hard on the marble floor. “You’ve been quiet since the courthouse. I figured you’d learned your

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lesson.” He stared down at her, like he could see straight through her. “Guess I was wrong.”

Nicole was about to respond, but she suddenly froze.

She caught a tiny smirk at the corner of Cruz’s lips. It was quick, but it was there.

“Since you want Angela to suffer an allergic reaction…” Cruz said as he turned and pulled a heavy bottle of liquor from the wine shelf. The bottle hit the table with a sharp clink. “Then it’s only fair you get a taste too.”

Nicole’s whole body went numb as her back pressed against the icy wall.

He had always known she was allergic to alcohol.

Two guards stepped up and grabbed her by the shoulders, squeezing hard enough to make her flinch in pain.

When the alcohol slid down her throat, it felt like fire spreading from her mouth to her stomach.

She coughed violently, her eyes filling with tears, yet somehow, she still ended up swallowing half the bottle.

That horrible itching started immediately, rising from deep under her skin.

Large red rashes started spreading across her neck and arms. Breathing got harder by the second, and her vision started to fade.

Right before everything went black, Nicole caught one last imag Cruz standing there in the glow, wearing a faint smile.

He was actually smiling.

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