CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT – NEVER DOUBT HIS LOVE

The dizzying thought spun through Kayla's frazzled psyche in an endless, inescapable loop as she fought to stay afloat. Her past in the cutthroat world of high-society always hovered, leaving her feeling like a perpetual outsider. Soft footsteps in the hallway jarred her out of the tailspin seconds before Skylar appeared, features pinched with obvious trepidation. "Kayla?" She ventured, voice pitched low and soothing. "I just got word about Lance's emergency surgery. Oh sweetie, how are you holding up?" The tender concern in her friend's voice cracked the last vestiges of Kayla's composure like a sledgehammer. She folded in upon herself, shoulders shaking with guilt-ridden sobs as the dams burst. "I can't do this, Sky," she managed to choke out between ragged gasps. "Not if he...if he doesn't make it through. I've spent my whole life being treated like scum, told I'm worthless by people like Barbara. And you know what? Maybe they're right!" Skylar made a noise of wordless denial,