Carmen hovered in the corner of the ceiling like a silent security camera.
She watched Forrest stare into the flames. Right above the fireplace, a massive, framed portrait of Carmen in her engagement dress stared down at him. He didn't even look at it.
The doorbell buzzed, a sharp sound that shattered the quiet intimacy of the room.
Forrest groaned and stood up. He adjusted the lapels of his silk robe, his jaw tight with annoyance.
He walked to the front door and yanked it open.
Jax Dalton stood in the hallway. He wore a tailored suit and a smirk that made Carmen want to punch him. Jax was Forrest's best friend, a trust-fund playboy who had always hated her.
Jax let out a low whistle as he walked past Forrest into the penthouse.
"Well, well," Jax said, looking around the empty room. "Any word from Evelin's kidnappers? Aren't you worried that crazy bitch Carmen is going to storm in here and slit your throat?"
Forrest walked over to the bar cart. He poured Jax a glass of scotch. He let out a dry scoff.
"She can barely take care of herself right now," Forrest said. "She's too busy playing her little games."
Jax took the glass and laughed. He threw himself onto the sofa.
"I heard," Jax said. "She's playing the disappearing act again? What is it this time? Trying to tank the Richmond family stock to force you to set a wedding date?"
Forrest swirled the amber liquid in his glass. He twisted the dial of his watch, his signature tell when he was irritated.
"It's her usual routine," Forrest muttered. "But she took it too far this time. Evelin is terrified. Carmen is sick in the head."
They sat there, drinking expensive liquor, tearing her apart.
Jax mocked her. He mimicked Carmen's voice, pretending to cry and beg for attention. He called her a control freak. He said she had borderline personality disorder.
Forrest laughed at every joke.
Up near the ceiling, Carmen felt every word like a physical cut to her skin. She had spent four years loving this man, compromising for him, shrinking herself to fit into his world. And this was what she was to him. A joke. A crazy bitch.
Forrest's private cell phone buzzed on the glass coffee table.
It was an unknown number. He frowned and reached to decline the call. But he paused when he saw the New York area code. He swiped to answer.
"Forrest Richmond," he said, his voice instantly dropping into his professional, authoritative tone.
The voice on the other end was loud enough for Carmen to hear. It was a gruff, official voice.
"Mr. Richmond. This is Detective Frobisher, NYPD Major Crimes. Are you the emergency contact for Carmen Campos?"
Forrest's smile vanished. He sat up straighter. "I am her fiancé. What is this about?"
"We found a scene in an abandoned industrial park in Brooklyn," the detective said. "It's highly bloody. We have reason to believe it's connected to Ms. Campos. We need you to come down to the 84th Precinct immediately to assist with the investigation."
Jax stopped laughing. He set his glass down on the table. The smirk fell off his face.
Forrest didn't look worried. He just looked deeply, profoundly annoyed. He pinched the bridge of his nose. He genuinely believed this was just another one of Carmen's tricks to get his attention.
"Detective," Forrest said smoothly. "I respect the work you do. But I can assure you, this is likely a massive misunderstanding."
'Carmen and I have been experiencing significant relationship strain,' Forrest stated smoothly into the phone, his tone completely detached. 'She is highly unstable and prone to erratic behavior. This entire situation is likely just her way of acting out for attention.'
Carmen's soul flickered. The air around her turned freezing cold.
Acting out for attention.
With those words, he erased their four-year relationship. He erased her status. He erased her right to be mourned.
"She's probably just at a party with her friends and let her phone die," Forrest continued, his voice dripping with condescension. "You don't need to waste your resources, Detective."
There was a heavy silence on the other end of the line.
"Mr. Richmond," the detective said, his voice turning hard. "I strongly advise you to come to the precinct. Now."
Forrest rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll be there in twenty minutes."
He hung up the phone and threw it hard onto the sofa cushions.
"Evelin is terrified out of her mind hiding in a safehouse, and Carmen is pulling this stunt," Forrest sneered. "The only thing she's in danger of is making a fool out of me. I'm going down there to expose her little prank right now."
