The digital clock on the microwave glowed bright red in the dark loft: 11:42 PM.
Elodie sat cross-legged on the worn leather sofa. She was wearing one of Fletcher's oversized gray cashmere sweaters. It swallowed her frame, smelling faintly of his cedarwood cologne.
She stared at the blank screen of her phone. Fletcher had texted her at six o'clock, saying he had a mandatory networking drinks event with potential investors. He promised to be back by nine.
It was almost midnight.
A sickening knot of anxiety twisted in her gut. She couldn't take the silence anymore. She unlocked her phone and dialed his private number.
The phone rang. And rang. And rang.
Just as it was about to go to voicemail, the line clicked open.
"Hello?"
The voice wasn't Fletcher's deep baritone. It was high-pitched. Sweet. Breathless.
It was Dani.
The blood drained from Elodie's face. A ringing sound started in her ears.
"Why do you have his phone?" Elodie asked. Her voice was terrifyingly calm, completely devoid of emotion.
Dani let out a soft, giggling sigh on the other end of the line. "Oh, hi Elodie. Fletcher had a little too much to drink. He left his jacket in my car. His phone was in the pocket. I'm just helping him upstairs right now."
Elodie didn't say another word. She pulled the phone away from her ear and hit end.
She threw her legs off the sofa. She grabbed the magnetic key fob from the kitchen counter and marched out the front door.
She stood in the dimly lit, freezing hallway. She stared at the digital numbers above the elevator doors.
1... 2... 3...
The numbers climbed. Her fingernails dug so deeply into her palms that the skin nearly broke.
Ding.
The heavy metal doors slid open.
A wave of stale alcohol and cheap, floral perfume rolled out of the elevator car.
Fletcher was leaning heavily against the back wall of the elevator. His eyes were closed. His tie was undone, hanging loosely around his neck. His suit jacket was missing.
Dani was plastered against his side. Her arm was wrapped tightly around his waist. Her hand was resting flat against his stomach.
Dani looked up and saw Elodie standing in the hallway. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth in mock surprise.
"Oh! Elodie!" Dani chirped. She stepped out of the elevator, dragging Fletcher with her. "I didn't think you actually lived here. This place is so... gross. How does a princess like you survive?"
Elodie ignored her. She took two large steps forward. She reached out and grabbed Fletcher's left bicep. Her grip was like a vice.
She yanked him hard.
Fletcher stumbled forward, his heavy body weight shifting away from Dani and crashing into Elodie's shoulder. He groaned, his head lolling.
"Take your hands off him," Elodie commanded. Her blue eyes were burning with lethal intent as she glared at Dani.
Dani didn't back down. She smirked. She reached into her cheap purse and pulled out Fletcher's sleek black iPhone. She dangled it in the air between them.
"You shouldn't be so mad," Dani said, her voice dropping its sweet facade. "He was amazing tonight. He drank three shots of tequila just to save me from a creepy investor. He's very protective."
Every word was a physical knife stabbing into Elodie's chest. The pain was blinding. But she refused to bleed in front of this girl.
Elodie snatched the phone out of Dani's hand.
"You're an Uber driver," Elodie sneered, her voice dripping with aristocratic disdain. "A cheap, desperate designated driver who has to steal a drunk man's phone to feel important. Now get out."
Dani's face contorted. The mask of innocence shattered completely. Her eyes filled with pure, unadulterated hatred.
She leaned in close to Elodie. She lowered her voice to a venomous whisper.
"Your father threw you away like trash," Dani hissed. "And soon, Fletcher is going to throw you away too. You have nothing."
The words hit the deepest, rawest wound in Elodie's soul. Her vision went red. She raised her right hand, aiming a vicious slap directly at Dani's smirking face.
Before her hand could connect, a massive hand shot out of the air.
Fletcher's fingers clamped around Elodie's wrist like an iron shackle.
Elodie gasped. She looked up, her free hand instinctively flying to her opposite wrist, her thumb grinding against the cold diamonds of her tennis bracelet.
Fletcher's eyes were open. They were bloodshot and heavy with exhaustion, but the moment Dani had hissed those venomous words about her father throwing her away like trash, a violent spike of adrenaline had shattered his drunken haze. He hadn't been fully blacked out-just bone-tired and using the alcohol as a shield against the noise of the night. Now, his gaze was sharp, furious, and terrifyingly lucid.
"Are you done?" Fletcher barked. His voice was a harsh, guttural roar that echoed down the hallway.
Elodie stared at him in absolute horror. "You're defending her?" she whispered. Her voice broke. "You're defending the bastard who ruined my life?"
The word 'bastard' made Fletcher's expression harden with absolute disgust. His jaw locked. He violently shoved Elodie's hand away.
"I am sick of this," Fletcher snarled. He didn't look at either of them. He stumbled toward his apartment door. "Both of you. Get the hell out of my face."
He slammed the door behind him.
The sound echoed in the silent hallway.
Dani turned to Elodie. She let out a soft, victorious laugh. She adjusted her purse on her shoulder, gave Elodie one last pitying look, and stepped back into the elevator.
The doors closed, leaving Elodie standing alone in the freezing corridor. Her heart shattered into a million irreparable pieces.
