Chapter 6

I woke up in my own bed. The penthouse was silent. Adrian wasn't home.

I used to lie awake waiting for the sound of his key in the door. Now, the silence was a relief. I hoped he would never come back.

My flight was in a few hours. My visa for New York had been approved. Freedom was so close I could taste it.

Then, the mail arrived. Among the bills and junk mail was a thick, cream-colored envelope. It was an invitation to a high-profile charity auction.

Normally, I would have thrown it away. But as I glanced at the catalog, a piece of jewelry caught my eye. It was a pair of cufflinks, designed with intricate architectural details. A miniature Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe, crafted from platinum and sapphire.

They were stunning. And they were so perfectly Kellen.

He was an architect. He had always dreamed of visiting Paris. I could picture the cufflinks on his wrists, a perfect match for his quiet, elegant style.

I had to get them for him. It would be my peace offering. A symbol of everything I wanted to say.

The auction was a sea of glittering gowns and fake smiles. I felt out of place, but I had a mission. And then I saw her.

Cassie Tate.

She walked up to me, a picture of grace and forgiveness. "Ellery," she said, her voice dripping with counterfeit sympathy. "I'm so glad to see you're okay. I want you to know, I don't blame you for what happened. I'm sure you were just... acting out."

She patted my hand. "Adrian and I, we're just friends. I hope you can understand that."

I looked at her, at the practiced innocence in her eyes. "You know," I said, my voice low. "Those deepfake pictures of you... they looked surprisingly realistic. I wonder who had the original photos to work from."

The smile on her face faltered for a half-second. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"I think you do," I said, before turning my attention to the stage.

The cufflinks came up for bidding. I raised my paddle.

"One hundred thousand," the auctioneer called.

A paddle went up across the room. Cassie's.

"One hundred and fifty thousand."

I gritted my teeth. I raised my paddle again. "Two hundred thousand."

Cassie didn't even hesitate. She smiled sweetly at me and raised her paddle. "Five hundred thousand."

She leaned over and whispered, "Adrian gave me his credit card. I can do this all night."

The room buzzed. This was more than a bidding war; it was a public spectacle.

Cassie then did something outrageous. She signaled the auctioneer and said a single, powerful phrase used in the most cutthroat auctions, indicating she would pay double whatever my final bid was. It was an absolute power move to crush any opponent.

The room gasped. I gripped my paddle, my knuckles white. She had won. The cufflinks sold to her for an astronomical price.

After the auction, I found her. I swallowed my pride.

"Cassie," I said. "Please. Sell them to me. I'll pay you whatever you want."

"Why do you want them so badly?" she asked, a cruel curiosity in her eyes. "Are they for Adrian? A way to apologize?"

I didn't answer. Let her think what she wanted.

"Fine," she said, a wicked glint in her eyes. "I'll give them to you. But you have to do something for me first."

"What?"

"There's a temple on Mount Astor. I want you to go there, on foot, and climb the thousand steps to the top on your knees. Pray for my good health and bring me back a blessing talisman."

It was a humiliating, pointless task designed to break me.

My injuries from the beach and the hospital alley were still fresh. My knees were raw, my body ached. But I looked at the box in her hand, the box that held my gift for Kellen.

"Fine," I said.

The climb was agony. Every step on my knees was a fresh wave of pain. The stone was cold and unforgiving. My knees were bleeding through my pants.

I kept going. With every painful step, I whispered his name. Kellen. Kellen. Kellen. His name was a prayer, a mantra that kept me moving forward.

By the time I reached the top, I was dizzy and sick with pain. I got the talisman, my hands shaking. As I staggered back down the mountain, my vision blurred. I collapsed.