The scream of the power drill echoed off the bare brick walls of my new studio, a harsh, mechanical sound that felt strangely like a lullaby. Soren was on his knees in the entryway, sawdust dusting the dark denim of his jeans, as he drove the final screw into the heavy-duty deadbolt he’d insisted on installing.
"Overkill?" he asked, his voice vibrating over the whir of the tool. He stood up, wiping his hands on a rag, and tested the lock. The bolt slid home with a heavy, authoritative *thunk*.
"Necessary," I said, staring at the metal. It was the first time in five years I felt safe behind a locked door. "Thank you, Soren."
He didn't brush off the gratitude. He just reached into a paper bag on the floor and pulled out a small, ceramic pot. A succulent, its leaves thick and spiked with resilience. "Housewarming gift. It’s hard to kill. Thrives on neglect. Seemed... appropriate."
We ate pizza on the floor, the cardboard box serving as our table between the radiator and my mattress. The silence in the room wasn't the heavy, suffocating vacuum of the penthouse. It was clean. It was mine. I watched Soren carefully fold a slice of pepperoni, the streetlights outside casting long shadows across his face, and a realization bloomed in my chest, sharp and sudden. I didn't miss Caleb. I missed the man I had invented in my head—the man who would have installed a lock to keep me safe, not the man who left me to burn. The grief I felt wasn't for a husband; it was for a ghost.
***
Two nights later, the sensory deprivation of my studio was replaced by the assault of the Altitude Lounge. It was Soren’s thirty-second birthday, and the rooftop bar was a kaleidoscope of neon lights, expensive perfume, and the thrum of bass that vibrated in the floorboards.
I stood near the railing, the wind whipping strands of hair across my face. I was wearing armor disguised as silk—an emerald slip dress that clung to my ribs and pooled like liquid around my hips. Caleb had always hated this color. *Too bold,* he’d say. *It draws the wrong kind of attention.*
Tonight, I wanted the attention.
The elevator doors chimed, and the atmosphere in my immediate vicinity seemed to depressurize. Caleb stepped out. And clinging to his bicep, wearing a white dress that looked suspiciously bridal, was Elodie.
Soren, who had been laughing with a group of investors, went rigid. He didn't look at his best friend; he looked at me.
Caleb scanned the crowd, his face set in a mask of performative weariness, until his eyes landed on me. He froze. His gaze raked over the emerald silk, his expression shifting from shock to a dark, possessive hunger. He said something to Elodie, unpeeling her hand from his arm, and marched toward me.
"You're making a scene," he hissed, leaning in close enough that I could smell the scotch on his breath. "Wearing that... here. You knew I’d be here."
"It’s Soren’s birthday, Caleb. The world doesn't revolve around your libido." I took a slow sip of my martini, my eyes locking with his. "Where’s your shadow? Did she get lonely in the thirty seconds you’ve been gone?"
"She didn't want to be alone at the penthouse. She’s still fragile, Estelle."
"She seems sturdy enough to crash a party she wasn't invited to."
Caleb stepped closer, invading my personal space, his body shielding me from the rest of the party. It was a move designed to intimidate, to remind me of the physical space he used to occupy in my life. "Stop this. You look... God, Estelle, you look beautiful. Why are you doing this? Come home. Let’s talk like adults."
"I am an adult," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper that cut through the noise. "That’s why I left."
Before he could answer, Elodie appeared at his elbow. She didn't look at me. She looked at Caleb, her hand fluttering to her chest. "Caleb, honey, my chest feels tight. The smoke... I think I need water."
Caleb looked at me—standing tall in my emerald armor—and then at Elodie, playing the wilting flower. The struggle in his eyes was pathetic.
"Go," I said, turning my back on him to watch the city skyline. "Go save her, Caleb. It’s what you’re best at."
He hesitated for a heartbeat, then cursed under his breath and led Elodie away toward the bar.
***
The victory felt hollow. I retreated to a high-top table in the corner, nursing my drink, watching Soren accept back slaps and handshakes. He looked tired. Every time he laughed, his eyes darted to where Caleb was hand-feeding Elodie ice chips.
My phone buzzed against the table. A single vibration.
*Unknown Number.*
I swiped the screen. It was a photo.
The lighting was grainy, low-exposure, but the subject was unmistakable. Caleb, asleep in the guest room of the penthouse. His mouth was slightly open, his arm thrown over his eyes in a posture of deep, unguarded rest. But it was the angle that stopped my heart. The photo had been taken from the pillow right next to him. From inside the bed.
A text bubble appeared below it.
*He’s always been more comfortable with me.*
The noise of the party vanished. The blood drained from my face so fast I felt dizzy. It wasn't just the betrayal; it was the cruelty. The calculated, vicious precision of it.
A hand touched my shoulder. Soren.
"Estelle?" His voice was low, urgent. "You’ve gone pale. What is it?"
I couldn't speak. I just shoved the phone into his hand.
Soren looked at the screen. For a second, he didn't move. Then, his jaw muscles bunched, a rhythmic ticking of suppressed violence. His grip on the phone tightened until I thought the glass might shatter. He didn't look at Caleb across the room. He looked at me, and the raw fury in his dark eyes was terrifying—and entirely on my behalf.
"I'm taking you home," he said, his voice a rough growl. He pocketed my phone, grabbed my coat, and wrapped his arm around my waist, turning his body to block my view of the bar.
"Soren, it’s your party," I whispered, my voice trembling.
"The party’s over," he said, steering me toward the exit. "Let's go."
