I pushed the heavy mahogany door open. The penthouse felt entirely different. The scent of my vanilla candles was gone, replaced by the sharp, synthetic smell of expensive floral perfume. Nancy’s perfume.
I dragged my soaked sneakers across the marble foyer and froze.
Above the fireplace, a massive canvas dominated the living room wall. My stomach twisted into a hard knot.
It was a family portrait. Dylan wore a sharp tuxedo. Nancy stood beside him in a white gown, her hand resting intimately on his chest. The little curly-haired boy sat on Dylan’s shoulders, grinning widely.
My photos. My paintings. The antique clock I bought at a flea market. All of it had vanished.
"You came back," Dylan stated.
I spun around. He leaned against the kitchen counter, swirling amber liquid in a crystal glass. He wore his tailored suit trousers, the collar of his white shirt unbuttoned.
"Where are my things?" I demanded.
"The maid packed them." He pointed his glass toward a single black suitcase sitting by the elevator doors.
I stared at the small piece of luggage. "Three years of my life. Reduced to one bag."
"Do not make this harder than it needs to be, Violet."
"Harder for who?" I marched toward him, my hands balling into fists. "You erased me. You replaced me in my own home!"
"It was never your home," he replied coldly. He took a sip of his scotch. "It is my name on the lease."
"I threw myself in front of a speeding truck for you." My voice broke. I hated how weak I sounded. "I lost my hearing. I endured endless surgeries. I gave you everything."
"I did not ask you to play hero." He slammed the glass onto the granite counter. The ice cracked loudly. "I paid that driver to swerve. It was a controlled situation."
"Did you ever love me?" I asked. The question burned my throat. "Even for a single second?"
Dylan looked at me. His eyes were flat, devoid of any warmth or guilt. "No."
A dry, hollow laugh bubbled up from my chest. It erupted out of me, sharp and entirely wrong for the moment.
Dylan frowned, taking a step back. "Are you insane?"
"You were just part of the plan back then," he continued, his tone hardening. "My father’s board members wanted a wholesome family man before they handed over the CEO title. You were a naive orphan. You fit the narrative."
"A prop." I smiled, though my face felt entirely numb. "I was a prop."
"You were a convenient shield," he corrected. "Now, I do not need you anymore."
I stopped laughing. The last thread connecting me to this man snapped.
"Keep the ring," Dylan offered, gesturing vaguely toward my hand. "Pawn it. Consider it severance."
I pulled the diamond off my finger. I didn't throw it at him. I just dropped it onto the floor. It bounced against the hardwood and rolled under the sofa.
"Goodbye, Dylan."
I walked to the elevator, grabbed the handle of my black suitcase, and pressed the button. I didn't look back.
***
The storm hit the second I stepped out of the lobby.
Rain lashed against my face, cold and unforgiving. The sky was a bruised, pitch-black canopy above the city.
I dragged the suitcase down the pavement. The wheels rattled aggressively over the cracked concrete. I had nowhere to go. No family to call. No money in my personal account—Dylan had frozen my cards hours ago.
Two figures stepped out from a narrow alleyway, blocking the sidewalk.
I stopped.
Broad chests. Dark raincoats. They didn't look like muggers. They stood too straight.
"Keep walking," the taller man ordered.
"Get out of my way," I said, gripping the suitcase handle tighter.
The shorter man reached out and grabbed my shoulder. "Nancy sends her regards. She thinks you might have trouble understanding your new reality."
I shoved his hand away. "Don't touch me."
"Stay away from Dylan Miller," the tall one warned. He stepped into my personal space, towering over me. "If you keep pestering them, you will disappear completely."
"Are you threatening me?"
"It is a promise."
He shoved me hard in the chest.
My wet sneakers slipped on the slick concrete. I fell backward, my hands flying out to catch myself. My palms scraped violently against the pavement.
The tiny flesh-colored device popped out from behind my ear. It bounced onto the asphalt, landing right next to the tall man’s heavy work boot.
He looked down at it. Then he looked at me.
He raised his foot.
*Crunch.*
The sharp sound of plastic shattering echoed for a split second.
Then, absolute silence.
The doctor told me my natural hearing was returning. But the trauma of the fall, combined with the roaring storm, overwhelmed my senses. The world instantly muted into a fuzzy, distorted hum. The rain became a visual assault rather than an auditory one.
The men mouthed something else. The tall one laughed, a silent contortion of his face. They turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows of the alley.
I lay on the wet ground. The freezing rain pounded against my skin.
I had no way out. The realization crushed the remaining air from my lungs.
My vision blurred. The edges of the streetlights smeared into long yellow streaks. I couldn't move my legs. I closed my eyes, letting the cold darkness pull me under.
A sudden, blinding glare pierced the night.
Tires screeched. The violent vibration rattled through the concrete, shaking my spine.
A sleek, black Rolls-Royce stopped mere inches from my head.
The rear passenger door swung open.
A pair of polished leather dress shoes stepped onto the wet pavement. Long legs wrapped in tailored charcoal trousers followed.
A man stood over me. He held a large black umbrella, casting his face in deep shadow.
I blinked through the rain, struggling to keep my eyes open.
Sharp jawline. Piercing gray eyes. A face carved from ice. He exuded an overwhelming aura of wealth and absolute authority. Jacob Mercer. The heir to the city's oldest fortune.
He crouched down. His large hand gripped my chin, tilting my face up. His fingers were shockingly warm against my freezing skin.
I stared at his lips, falling back on the skill I had mastered over the last three years.
"Get in," he commanded.
I shook my head weakly. "Who..."
"I bought your life," he articulated clearly, making sure I caught every syllable.
He didn't wait for my response. He slid his arms under my knees and shoulders, lifting me effortlessly from the flooded street.
The scent of expensive cedar and rain enveloped me.
He placed me onto the plush leather seat of the car. The door slammed shut, trapping me inside the dry, quiet cabin.
The engine roared to life, a deep vibration beneath my feet.
I stared at the dangerous stranger sitting beside me in the dark. We were speeding away from everything I knew, driving straight into an entirely unknown world.
He pulled a pristine white handkerchief from his breast pocket and tossed it into my lap.
"Dry off," he ordered, his gray eyes locking onto mine. "Your real nightmare starts tomorrow."
