The noise in the ballroom was deafening. Reporters who had sneaked into the back of the room started snapping photos of Julio standing next to the crying Seraphina.
Harrison Rogers shoved his way through the crowd. His face was dark red, the veins in his neck bulging against his tuxedo collar.
Julio lunged forward. He reached out to grab the microphone from Amanda's hand. He wanted to cut the power.
Amanda stepped back. Her heel caught the edge of the table holding the massive champagne pyramid. A wave of dizziness slammed into her, black spots swarming her vision. She swayed and swung her arm back to catch her balance. The heavy metal microphone smashed into the bottom tier of glasses.
The glass shattered. The entire pyramid collapsed. Hundreds of crystal flutes crashed to the marble floor. Amber liquid splashed everywhere. The guests screamed and scrambled backward to avoid the flying shards.
Harrison stopped at the edge of the broken glass. He pointed a shaking finger at Amanda.
"You ungrateful bitch!" Harrison roared. "You ruined this family's reputation!"
Meredith stepped around Harrison. She did not yell. She walked straight up to Amanda, pulled her right arm back, and swung with all her body weight.
Smack.
The slap echoed over the sound of the breaking glass. The force of the blow snapped Amanda's head to the side. Five bright red finger marks instantly swelled on her pale cheek.
Amanda stumbled backward. Her teeth cut into the inside of her cheek. A thick drop of dark red blood leaked from the corner of her mouth and ran down her chin.
The ballroom went completely silent. Billie stopped fake-crying. Seraphina froze on the floor.
Amanda raised her hand and wiped the blood from her chin with the back of her thumb. She looked at the red smear on her skin. She slowly turned her head back to face her mother.
Amanda did not dig her nails into her palms. She did not hold back. She let out a low, dark laugh. The sound was hollow and completely insane. The fever was burning through her now, stripping away the last of her restraint.
Meredith's eyes widened in fury. She raised her hand to slap Amanda again.
Amanda's hand shot out. She grabbed Meredith's wrist mid-air. Her fingers locked onto the bone with a grip powered by nothing but adrenaline and spite. The effort made her whole arm tremble.
"This is the last time you ever touch me, Mrs. Rogers," Amanda said. Her voice was dead.
She shoved Meredith's arm away. Meredith stumbled backward into Harrison's chest.
Amanda turned her head. She locked her eyes on Billie, who was standing near the open French doors leading to the patio. Seraphina was crawling toward the same doors, trying to escape.
Amanda marched across the broken glass. Her black heels crunched over the crystal. Each step sent a fresh jolt of pain up her spine, the fever blurring the edges of her vision, but she did not stop.
Billie held up her hands. "Amanda, please calm down-"
Amanda lunged. She grabbed the collar of Billie's custom white gown with her left hand. She twisted the fabric tight, choking off Billie's words. The wound on her palm screamed in protest, hot and wet against the silk.
Seraphina tried to stand up and run. Amanda shot her right hand out and grabbed a massive handful of Seraphina's curled hair, ignoring the fresh sting where the earring post had pierced her skin.
Both women screamed.
Amanda did not say a word. She hauled them backward, stumbling under their combined weight, her fever-ravaged body running on nothing but rage. She pulled them through the French doors and out into the freezing winter night. The cold wind whipped her hair across her face and cut through her thin evening gown, shocking her burning skin.
"Let them go!" Julio yelled from inside. He and Donat—Amanda's older brother, who had been standing frozen near the bar since the chaos began—sprinted toward the doors.
Amanda ignored the heavy footsteps pounding behind her. Using the last reserves of her strength, she dragged the screaming women across the stone patio toward the edge of the massive, unheated outdoor swimming pool. The water was pitch black and freezing.
She reached the edge. Her knees buckled. Billie and Seraphina clawed at Amanda's hands, begging and crying.
Amanda lifted her right leg and drove her knee into Billie's stomach. At the exact same time, she ripped her right arm forward, hurling Seraphina over the water. The momentum tore her grip free, and she dropped to one knee on the freezing stone.
Two loud splashes shattered the quiet night.
Billie and Seraphina hit the freezing water. They thrashed and screamed, their heavy gowns pulling them under.
Amanda struggled back to her feet on the edge of the pool. The cold wind bit through her thin dress. She listened to the frantic footsteps of Julio and her brother rushing onto the patio.
She closed her eyes. She needed to know. She needed one final, physical proof that there was nothing left for her here.
Amanda spread her arms out to her sides. The torn skin of her palm stung in the icy air. She leaned backward and let gravity take her.
She fell backward off the edge of the concrete. The freezing, black water swallowed her whole.
