Chapter 5

Back in the mansion, which felt more like a prison than ever, I waited. Every day was a careful performance of submission.

The night of Aislinn's birthday party arrived. The entire mansion was decorated, filled with flowers and laughing guests. It was a celebration of the woman who had ruined my life. It was also the night of my escape.

Deep in my closet, behind a false panel Evan's people had installed, was a small duffel bag. Inside was cash from the jewelry Fletcher had given me, a fake passport, and a set of simple, non-descript clothes. My ticket out.

I was just checking the contents one last time when the doorknob turned.

My heart leaped into my throat. I shoved the bag back into its hiding place and threw myself onto the bed, pretending to be asleep just as Fletcher walked in.

He stood over me for a long moment. "Get up," he said, his voice low. "The party is starting."

I didn't move.

He sighed. "Don't play games with me, Kiara. I know you're awake." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. "You will go downstairs, and you will act like the loving wife you are supposed to be."

His grip was like iron. "And don't even think about trying to run. There is nowhere on this earth you could go that I wouldn't find you."

I looked into his eyes, a silent question forming in my mind. If you hate me so much, why won't you let me go? Is your pride really worth this much?

I let him lead me downstairs. Aislinn was the center of attention, glowing as she opened extravagant gifts. My father watched her with a proud, loving smile that he never had for me. Fletcher's top executive arrived with a velvet box. Inside was a necklace of enormous diamonds, a gift from Fletcher to Aislinn.

The crowd gasped. Whispers rippled through the room. "That must have cost a fortune!" "He clearly adores her." "What about his actual wife?"

I felt a cold, bitter smile touch my lips. Let them talk. None of this would matter soon. I scanned the room, looking for my chance to slip away, to meet the contact Evan had arranged.

Suddenly, the festive music was cut short by a series of loud bangs.

Gunshots.

Panic erupted. People screamed and scrambled for cover. Masked men stormed into the room, their weapons raised.

One of them grabbed Aislinn, pressing a gun to her head. "Fletcher Dillon!" the leader shouted. "Payback time."

Fletcher stepped forward, his body tense. "Let her go."

The man laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. "I'll let her go. But you have to give me something in return." His eyes scanned the room and landed on me, cowering behind a marble column. "Her. The wife. A trade."

Everyone turned to stare at me.

Fletcher didn't hesitate. Not for a second.

"Fine," he said, his voice cold and clear. "Take her."

The words hit me harder than a physical blow. He had said it. In front of everyone. He chose Aislinn. He was sacrificing me.

My heart, which I thought had been broken beyond repair, shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Fletcher strode over to me, grabbed my arm, and shoved me forward, toward the gunmen. "Here," he said. "Take her and leave Aislinn alone."

Tears blurred my vision as one of the masked men grabbed me, his grip rough and painful. This was it. The escape I'd planned, twisted into a nightmare. I was being handed over, a piece of property traded for a more valuable one.

He dragged me toward the exit. I glanced back one last time. Fletcher was already comforting Aislinn, holding her close, his back to me. He didn't even watch me go.

As we were forced out into the cold night air, my training with Evan's people kicked in. The gunman's grip loosened for a split second as he pushed me toward a waiting car.

It was now or never.

I stomped down hard on his instep and broke free, sprinting across the manicured lawn.

"Get her!" someone yelled.

A shot rang out. And then another.

A searing pain exploded in my shoulder. I stumbled, my momentum carrying me forward a few more steps before I collapsed onto the wet grass. Blood poured from the wound, hot and sticky against my skin. The world began to spin, the edges of my vision turning dark.