The morning of my mother’s birthday dawned clear and cold. I sat in my vanity, pretending to fuss with my hair. I could hear Nadia’s high laugh echoing down the hallway
One more hour, I told myself. Just let them leave.
The door slammed open behind me. Nadia stood there in her silk robe. Her eyes flicked to my chest and then she lunged. I didn’t even have time to flinch before her fingers closed around the thin silver chain my father had given me when I turned sixteen.
“Give that back!” I shouted, grabbing at her wrist, but her other hand was already fisted in my hair, yanking me backward until I cried out.
“This? This cheap little thing?” she sneered, her breath hot against my ear. “You don’t deserve it. Daddy’s favorite, huh? How’s that working out for you now?”
I grabbed her wrist, yanking the necklace back so hard it cut into my palm. “It’s mine, give it back!”
She laughed in my face. “You think he cares about you now? You think anyone does?”
Something inside me snapped. My palm came up before I could stop it, I slapped him.
Nadia froze for a split second, shock flashing in her eyes, before she recoiled, pressing her fingers dramatically to the red mark blooming on her skin.
The door slammed open. Xander’s voice sliced through the air. “What the hell is going on?”
Nadia let out a shaky little sob, eyes wide and brimming with tears that weren’t real. “She hit me, Xander! I just wanted to borrow the necklace for the party, it would’ve matched my dress, but she went crazy! I was only trying to help her get ready—”
“That’s a lie!” I hissed. “She took my necklace—”
But before I could finish, my mother appeared behind him, hair perfect, eyes glittering with the kind of disgust she never bothered to hide. “Lauren, you ungrateful child. You can’t behave for one day?”
My fingers tightened around the tiny chain, my father’s last promise digging into my palm. “She stole it, she—”
“Enough!” Xander snapped. “You’re not going. I won’t have you embarrassing us in front of important people. You stay here.”
“You can’t—”
My mother’s cold hand came down on my shoulder. “You’ve been nothing but a shame since into this family. You stay here and think about what you cost us.”
Before I could blink, the door slammed shut. The lock clicked.
I pressed my back to the door, my shoulders trembling as I sank to the floor.
Through the door, I could hear Nadia’s giggle, soft and smug. “It’s better this way, don’t you think? We can’t let her ruin today.”
Their footsteps faded down the hall, their voices trailing off with the sound of the cars pulling away one by one. And then finally, the house fell still.
I grabbed my phone, my hands shaking as I pulled up Noah’s number. I pressed call, praying he’d answer. He did before the first ring even finished.
“Lauren?”
His voice was so warm I almost broke. “They locked me in,” I whispered. “They left for the party, but they locked me in. I’m ready to go, please, Noah. I can’t stay here.”
A low growl rumbled through the line, that same protective anger that made me believe him when he said he’d save me. “Stay right where you are. I’ll be there soon, baby. You hear me? You’re not going to spend one more night in that hellhole.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. I didn’t bother to wipe it away. “I’m ready to leave.”
Third person’s pov
Back at the grand ballroom, the celebration that was supposed to showcase perfection was already teetering on chaos.
Guests milled around awkwardly beneath the glittering chandeliers. The tables were half-empty, no servers in sight, and the main buffet remained sealed shut in the catering trucks that never arrived. No music drifted through the hall.
Lauren’s mother was the first to snap. Her sharp voice cut through the crowd like a whip as she rounded on Xander, who was standing near the bar, checking his phone for the third time in five minutes.
“Where is she?!” her mother hissed. “Where is that useless girl? She’s the one who was supposed to handle all this, the catering, the band! I want her here now.”
Xander’s jaw twitched. He hit call again. Voicemail. He tried again. Voicemail. A few of the guests had started whispering and pointing at the tense knot of family near the stage. Someone coughed to hide a laugh when the music still didn’t start.
“She’s not picking up,” Xander muttered, teeth grinding together. “You! Go check if she’s at home. Now.”
A hush rippled through the room as a butler stepped forward, carrying a small, elegant box with a white ribbon tied perfectly on top.
“Sir?” the butler said, clearing his throat nervously. “This just arrived for you. Delivered directly at the gate. It’s… from Mrs. Lauren.”
Xander ripped the lid off then froze. Inside, nestled on crisp white paper, were two things: Lauren’s wedding ring and a single, crisp set of divorce papers. Her signature sat at the bottom in steady, deliberate strokes.
The blood drained from Xander’s face. Nadia peered over his shoulder, her painted lips curling into a sneer. “Oh. She’s divorcing you finally?” she said.
Lauren’s mother let out a furious screech, drawing startled gasps from the guests. “Find her! Now! She’s not going to humiliate this family, not like this. Bring her back here this instant!”
But before they could move, the butler stepped forward again, sweat beading on his brow. “Sir, there’s more. The… the house, it’s—”
“What?” Xander barked. “What about the house?”
The butler swallowed hard. “There’s a fire, sir. It’s spreading through the kitchen, the storage, the staff are saying it’s bad. The whole back wing is gone.”
“And Lauren? Is she there? Where is she?” Xander asked.
The butler hesitated. Everyone fell silent, watching his lips move, waiting for the words that would break the last fragile thread holding them all together.
“I’m afraid,” the butler said hoarsely, “she was still inside. She… she burned with the fire… and it seems like Mrs. Lauren is dead.”
