Chapter 4

I stood outside the door of the hotel suite, my heart a leaden weight in my chest. A small, foolish part of me still held onto a sliver of hope. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was just consoling her. Maybe...

I crept closer, my hand hovering over the doorknob. And then I heard it. A soft moan from inside. Jaye's voice, breathless and ecstatic. Followed by Kason's low, guttural murmur.

The sounds were unmistakable. They were intimate. They were the sounds of lovers.

The last sliver of hope died, turning to ash in my mouth. My love, my life, my future-it was all a joke. A cruel, elaborate lie.

I didn't storm in. I didn't scream or cry. I was too broken for that. I just turned and walked away, my movements stiff and robotic. I fled the party, the sound of their passion a roaring in my ears, and somehow made it home.

I didn't sleep. I sat in the dark, the image of them burned into my mind, playing on a loop.

He came back the next morning, his shirt rumpled, a faint scent of Jaye's perfume clinging to him.

"Where were you last night?" I asked, my voice a dead monotone.

He had the decency to look slightly ashamed. "Jaye... she wasn't feeling well. I had to take care of her."

"Take care of her?" I repeated, the words tasting like poison. "Is that what you call it?"

"Alicia, it's not what you think."

"Isn't it? Don't lie to me, Kason. Not anymore."

"Fine," he snapped, his guilt quickly turning to anger. "It happened. I'm sorry. But it won't happen again. We are still getting married. This engagement is not something you can just walk away from."

He was reminding me of my place. I was the debt. I was the obligation. I was his cage.

He left for the hospital, leaving me in the silent, empty house. I sat there for hours, numb. Eventually, exhaustion claimed me, and I fell into a restless, dreamless sleep on the sofa.

I was shaken awake. Kason was standing over me, his face a mask of pure fury.

"Get up," he snarled, pulling me to my feet.

"What's going on?" I asked, dazed and confused.

He didn't answer. He dragged me out of the house and shoved me into his car. He drove like a madman, the city lights blurring into streaks.

"You threatened her," he growled, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. "You threatened to expose us."

"What are you talking about? I didn't threaten anyone."

"Don't lie to me, Alicia! Jaye is on the hospital roof right now. She says you called her, told her you were going to ruin her career. She's threatening to jump!"

My mind reeled. Jaye. It was always Jaye. She was twisting things, painting me as the villain to make him her hero.

"Kason, that's not true! I haven't spoken to her."

"Shut up!" he roared. "If anything happens to her, I will make you pay."

He screeched to a halt at the hospital entrance. The rooftop was lit by emergency lights. A small crowd had gathered below. Jaye was standing on the ledge, her silhouette a dramatic figure against the night sky.

Kason dragged me out of the car and through the crowd, his grip like iron on my arm.

"Jaye, I'm here!" he yelled. "Don't do it!"

Jaye turned, her face a mask of tragic beauty. "Kason! She said... she said she would tell everyone! My life will be over!"

"I'll handle it, Jaye! I promise! Just come down!"

He was bargaining with her. Bargaining for her, against me.

"Kason, she's lying," I said, my voice desperate. "I didn't do anything."

Jaye took a step closer to the edge. "Kason, make her promise she won't tell anyone!"

Kason turned to me, his eyes blazing. "Promise her, Alicia. Swear you won't say a word."

He was truly insane. He believed her completely.

Before I could answer, Jaye let out a theatrical sob and stumbled. "I feel faint..."

Kason's attention snapped back to her. "Jaye!"

He let go of my arm and lunged towards the ledge. In his haste, he shoved me hard. I was standing near a lower section of the rooftop, a decorative parapet. The push sent me stumbling backward. My cast-encased foot offered no balance.

Time seemed to slow down. I saw Kason reach Jaye, pulling her into a protective embrace. I saw the look of triumph on Jaye's face over his shoulder.

My world tilted sideways.

And then I was falling.

The last thing I saw before my head hit the concrete below was Kason, cradling Jaye in his arms, his face a picture of pure, unadulterated love.