Chapter 3

Cora closed her eyes, her hand gripping the corner of the hospital blanket.

"It was my job," she said, her voice hoarse. "As your assistant, your safety is my responsibility."

She said it again, reinforcing the wall between them. The professional boundary he himself had built.

"That's all it was."

August's face grew even darker. He looked like a storm cloud ready to burst.

"Your job," he repeated, the words dripping with sarcasm. "Right."

He pulled out his wallet and threw a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills onto her bedside table. The cash scattered across the white sheets.

"Then this is your payment," he sneered. "For a job well done. You always did have a thirst for money, didn't you, Cora? I remember you being desperate for five million once."

The mention of that number, the price of her betrayal, was like a slap.

He didn't wait for a response. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving the scent of his expensive cologne and the weight of his contempt behind.

A few days later, after she was discharged, Cora was tasked with a final duty related to the auction. She had to personally deliver the five-million-dollar crystal swans to Harlow Hughes at August's mansion.

Harlow greeted her at the door, all smiles and fake concern.

"Cora! Thank you so much for bringing these over. Oh, your poor arm! Does it still hurt?"

"I'm fine," Cora said, her head lowered.

As she looked down, she saw Harlow's eyes flash with a look of pure, unadulterated hatred. It was gone in a second, replaced by her sweet smile.

"They're beautiful," Harlow gushed, taking the heavy box. "August is so good to me."

Then, as she turned, her hand "slipped."

The box crashed to the marble floor. A sickening crunch echoed through the grand foyer.

Cora looked up in shock. The beautiful crystal swans, the symbol of eternal love that had cost five million dollars, were now a pile of glittering shards.

Harlow's mask of sweetness vanished, replaced by a look of triumphant malice.

Just then, August walked in, drawn by the noise. He saw the shattered crystal on the floor, and his face instantly hardened.

"What happened?" he demanded, his eyes locking onto Cora.

"Cora, you..." Harlow began, her voice trembling as she started to cry. "I know you didn't mean to..."

"I didn't touch it!" Cora tried to explain, her voice rising in panic. "She dropped it!"

August's gaze was glacial. "These were a gift for Harlow. They were meant to be a symbol of our love."

He strode forward and grabbed Cora's uninjured wrist, his grip like iron. "Is there nothing you won't ruin? Are you so jealous, so bitter, that you have to destroy anything beautiful in my life?"

"No! August, listen to me..."

But Harlow's sobs grew louder, a masterful performance of a heartbroken victim. "August, don't be angry with her. It was an accident. I'm sure she's sorry."

August looked from Harlow's tear-streaked face back to Cora's. His decision was already made.

"Apologize," he commanded, his voice cold as steel. "Get on your knees and apologize to Harlow."

Cora stared at him, horrified. "What? No! There are security cameras in the foyer. Check the footage! It will show you what happened!"

Harlow's sobbing hitched for a moment, a flicker of fear in her eyes. But then she relaxed. She knew something Cora didn't.

Two large bodyguards stepped forward, grabbing Cora's shoulders.

"Mr. Ortega," one of them said, his voice flat. "The security system in the foyer has been down for maintenance since this morning."

Of course it was.

The bodyguards forced her down.

Her knees landed directly on the shards of shattered crystal.

A sharp, grinding sound echoed in the silent hall, followed by the searing pain that shot up her legs. She cried out, a choked gasp of agony.

She looked up at August, her eyes pleading. He saw the blood begin to seep through her pants. He saw the pain on her face.

And he did nothing.

He believed Harlow. He would always believe Harlow.

"Apologize," he repeated, his voice even colder than before. "And you will pay for them. Five million dollars. I'll have it deducted from your severance."

Severance. He was firing her.

The pain in her knees was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the blood on the floor. She looked at Harlow, who was now hiding a small, triumphant smile behind her hand.

"I... I'm sorry," Cora choked out, the words tasting like ash in her mouth.

"I don't think she's sincere enough, Auggie," Harlow said, her voice a cruel purr. "Maybe she needs to think about what she's done."

Harlow walked to the large glass doors and opened them. Outside, the sky had turned dark, and a sudden storm had begun to rage. Rain lashed down, and the wind howled.

"Let her kneel outside," Harlow suggested. "Until I feel she's truly sorry."

August looked at Cora, kneeling in a pool of her own blood, and then looked at his fiancée. He nodded.

"Do it."

The bodyguards dragged her outside, forcing her to her knees on the cold, wet stone of the veranda. The rain immediately soaked her, plastering her thin dress to her skin.

She shivered, the cold seeping into her bones. The pain in her knees was a white-hot fire.

Through the glass doors, she could see August gently wrapping a blanket around Harlow's shoulders, whispering comforting words to her.

Cora closed her eyes, her mind drifting. She remembered a different storm, years ago. She had been afraid of the thunder, and August had held her, telling her he would always protect her.

She opened her eyes. The memory was gone. All that was left was the cold rain, the indifferent bodyguards, and the man who was now a stranger.

Her tears mixed with the rain, washing the blood from her knees down the stone steps.

She was alone. Utterly and completely alone.