Chapter 3 3

The guest room at the Malone Estate was sterile. It lacked the personal touches of the master bedroom, which Evangeline had been silently banished from months ago. The walls were a neutral beige, the furniture unoffensive and cold.

Evangeline zipped up the small carry-on suitcase. She hadn't packed much. Just jeans, a few sweaters, her sketchpad. She didn't want the clothes Cedric had bought her. She didn't want anything that felt like payment for her silence.

The television in the corner was on, the volume low, providing a murmur of background noise to keep the silence from screaming at her.

"Breaking news in the business world," the anchor's voice cut through her thoughts.

Evangeline glanced up. Her breath hitched.

On the screen was a photo of Cedric and Chloie. It was an old photo from a gala last year, but they looked like a power couple. Cedric in a tuxedo, Chloie in gold, smiling radiantly.

The headline banner read: MALONE & SERRANO: A ROYAL UNION IMMINENT?

Evangeline dropped the shirt she was holding. She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume.

"...sources close to the Malone family suggest that an engagement announcement is expected within the week," the reporter chirped excitedly. "When asked for comment, Ms. Serrano's representative gave a coy 'no comment,' fueling the rumors. This merger of families would create a dynasty..."

Evangeline stared at the screen. Her husband. Her husband was rumored to be engaged to another woman, and he hadn't even bothered to deny it. The "no comment" was a confirmation. Everyone in their circle knew that.

She felt a wave of nausea, but it was quickly burned away by a flare of pure, white-hot anger.

She grabbed her phone and dialed.

"Mr. Blackwood," she said the moment the line connected. Her voice was icy, devoid of the tremors that had plagued her for days.

"Mrs. Malone? I wasn't expecting..."

"Draft the papers. Finalize them. Now."

"The... divorce papers?" The lawyer sounded hesitant. "Mrs. Malone, the prenuptial agreement is very strict. If we rush this, you might lose your claim to the spousal support and the..."

"I don't want his money," Evangeline cut him off. "I don't want his alimony. I want out. Send the file to my phone. I'm printing it myself."

"But ma'am, the NDA..."

"Just do it!"

She hung up and threw the phone onto the bed. She looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She looked tired. Pale. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She looked like a victim. She looked like exactly what they thought she was: a pathetic, discarded foster kid who should be grateful for the scraps.

"No," she whispered.

She wasn't going to leave like a ghost in the night. She wasn't going to fade away while they toasted to their future on her grandmother's grave.

She walked to the back of the closet. There was a garment bag there, pushed to the very back, hidden behind winter coats. She unzipped it.

Inside was a dress she had designed herself. She had made it late at night, in the studio Cedric rarely visited. It was blood-red silk. A deep, violent crimson. It was backless, with a plunging neckline and a slit that went up to her thigh. It was a dress meant for a woman who wasn't afraid to burn the world down.

She stripped off her comfortable travel clothes. The silk felt cool and slippery against her skin as she pulled it on. It hugged every curve, fitting her like a second skin.

She sat at the vanity. She didn't use the soft pinks and nudes Cedric preferred. She grabbed the darkest, boldest red lipstick she owned. She applied it with precision, masking her grief with war paint. She lined her eyes with sharp, black wings.

She checked the "Find My" app on the iPad linked to the house account. Cedric's dot was pulsing in Midtown.

The Vanguard Club. Of course. It was where he did business. It was where he went to be seen.

Her phone pinged. The email from Blackwood. A single sentence was in the body: As per your instructions from last month, the contingency file is attached. She had asked him to prepare this weeks ago, a small act of self-preservation she never thought she'd need. Dissolution of Marriage.pdf.

She printed it on the wireless printer in the study, the machine whirring rhythmically. She didn't staple the pages. She slid them into a sleek blue folder.

She grabbed a black clutch, shoved the folder inside, and took the keys to her old sedan.

The drive to the club was a blur of red lights and adrenaline. Her knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

When she arrived at the Vanguard Club, the valet looked at her battered Honda with disdain. He hesitated to open the door.

Evangeline kicked the door open herself. She stepped out, the red dress catching the streetlights like liquid fire. She tossed the keys at the stunned valet.

"Park it. Don't scratch it," she commanded. Her voice held a steeliness he hadn't expected. He caught the keys, muttering a "Yes, ma'am."

She walked to the entrance. The bouncer, a massive man with a clipboard, stepped in front of her.

"Members only, miss. Or guest list." He looked her up and down, clearly assuming she was high-end entertainment, not a member.

"I'm Mrs. Malone," Evangeline said, lifting her chin.

The bouncer sneered. "Cedric Malone is unmarried. Nice try, sweetheart."

Evangeline didn't argue. She didn't plead. She reached into her clutch and pulled out the Black Card-the supplementary American Express Centurion Cedric had given her for 'household emergencies.'

She swiped it at the card reader on the podium before the bouncer could stop her.

The machine beeped loudly. A green light flashed. AUTHORIZED: C. MALONE.

The bouncer's sneer vanished. He looked at the screen, then at her. He stepped back, unhooking the velvet rope.

"My apologies, Mrs. Malone."

Evangeline walked past him without a glance. The heavy oak doors swung open.

The club was dimly lit, smelling of expensive scotch and cigars. Jazz music played softly, creating a sophisticated hum. Laughter rang out from the VIP section on the mezzanine.

Evangeline climbed the stairs, her heels clicking loudly on the marble steps. Click. Click. Click. Like a countdown.

She reached the top. She scanned the room.

There he was.

Cedric was sitting in a plush leather booth, surrounded by a group of sycophants in suits. And right next to him, sitting closer than appropriate, was Chloie.

Chloie was laughing at something Cedric had said, her hand resting possessively on his forearm. She looked like the lady of the manor. She looked happy.

Cedric looked bored. He was swirling his drink, his gaze unfocused. Until he looked up.

His eyes locked onto the figure in red standing at the edge of the lounge.

His eyes widened. Shock, genuine and unguarded, flashed across his face. He didn't recognize her for a split second. The confident, dangerous woman in the blood-red dress didn't match the image of the meek wife he had left at home.

The room went quiet as she approached. The conversation at the table died.

Evangeline didn't stop until she was standing right in front of their table, casting a long shadow over Chloie. She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. It was a smile made of razor blades.