The ringing of Arthur’s phone sliced through the library’s suffocating tension like a razor. He snatched it from the desk, his demeanor shifting instantly from imperious rage to desperate pleading.
"Isabela, wait. No, listen to me," he stammered, turning his back to me. "She means nothing. She’s a charity case, a leech... I didn't touch her. She threw herself at me."
I stood frozen, clutching the torn bodice of my dress, my skin still burning from his accusations. I could hear the tinny, frantic voice on the other end of the line. She didn't believe him. She wanted proof.
Arthur hung up, his chest heaving. When he turned back to me, the look in his eyes wasn't just hatred; it was a need for erasure. He needed me gone to sanitize his conscience.
"You want to play the victim?" He crossed the room in two long strides, gripping my arm. "Let’s see how much you like the cold reality of your situation."
He dragged me toward the French doors that opened onto the terrace. Outside, a blizzard was burying New York City, the wind howling against the glass like a dying animal. I dug my heels into the Persian rug, panic flaring in my throat.
"Arthur, please! It’s freezing!"
He didn't listen. He threw the doors open, and the gale hit me instantly, a physical blow of ice and wind. He shoved me out. My bare feet slipped on the snow-slicked stone, and I fell hard onto my knees.
"Stay out there until you freeze those gold-digging instincts out of your system," he snarled.
The lock clicked with a finality that echoed in my bones.
I scrambled to the glass, pressing my palms against it. "Arthur!" I screamed, but the wind tore the sound from my lips. inside, he didn't even look back. He poured another drink and walked out of the library, leaving me alone in the white swirling dark.
The cold didn't just bite; it chewed. Within minutes, the thin silk of my ruined dress was soaked. I huddled in the corner of the terrace, trying to make myself small, trying to find warmth that didn't exist. My teeth chattered so hard my jaw ached.
One hour passed. Then two.
My shivering turned violent, then slowly, terrifyingly stopped. The pain in my extremities faded into a heavy, wooden numbness. I stared at the city lights blinking through the storm, blurring into halos. I touched the locket at my throat, but the metal burned my skin like dry ice.
*Flora,* I thought, my mind sluggish and thick. *Is this what it felt like? Did you feel the cold before the end?*
Sometime before dawn, the world went black.
***
Consciousness returned as a collage of agony. My chest felt like it was filled with broken glass, every breath a shallow, rattling struggle. The sterile beep of machines drilled into my skull.
I peeled my eyes open. White ceiling. White sheets. The smell of antiseptic.
"Finally awake."
The voice was smooth, cultured, and laced with venom. I turned my head, the movement sending a spike of nausea through me. Isabela Vargas stood at the foot of the bed. She looked immaculate in a cashmere coat, her lips painted a blood-red that seemed violent against the hospital's sterility.
"Where..." I rasped, but a coughing fit seized me, tearing at my inflamed lungs.
She didn't offer water. She just watched, a faint smile playing on her lips. She stepped closer, invading my space, her expensive perfume cloying and suffocating.
"Arthur paid for a private room," she whispered, leaning down until her face was inches from mine. "But he’s not coming. He can’t stand to look at you."
Tears pricked my eyes, hot and humiliating. "I didn't... do anything."
"You exist," she hissed. "You’re a burden, Lily. A constant, pathetic reminder of the worst day of his life. Flora died a hero. You? You’re just the parasite that survived."
She patted my hand—a gesture that looked comforting from the hallway but felt like a brand. "Do him a favor. Stop ruining his life."
She left me alone with the rhythmic beeping of the monitor and the crushing weight of her truth.
***
Two days later, the door opened again. I expected a nurse. Instead, Arthur stormed in, bringing a storm cloud of fury with him.
He threw a newspaper onto the bed.
"'Peterson Ward Found Half-Frozen on Penthouse Terrace,'" he read, his voice trembling with suppressed rage. "The housekeeper. The damn housekeeper talked."
I looked at him, too weak to feel fear anymore. "Arthur..."
"Shut up," he snapped. "Grandmother Eleanor is livid. The board is panicking. Our stock dropped four points this morning because they think I'm abusing a grieving orphan."
He paced the small room, running a hand through his hair. He looked exhausted, cornered.
"She’s given me an ultimatum," he said, stopping at the window, refusing to look at me. "To kill the story, we have to change the narrative. We have to make it look like a lover's quarrel. A misunderstanding."
He turned slowly, his eyes cold and dead.
"We’re getting married, Lily."
The words hung in the air, absurd and terrifying. "What?"
"It’s the only way to satisfy the board and Grandmother," he said, his voice flat. "But don't think this is a victory. Don't think you've won."
He walked to the bedside, looming over me. There was no warmth in him, no trace of the boy Flora had saved. There was only a man trapped by his own cruelty.
"You wanted to trap me? Fine," he whispered, leaning in close. "You have me. And I will make sure you regret it every single day."
