Chapter 2 Everyone hasleft her behind

The silence in the room was heavier than the noise had been. It pressed against Chanel's ears, amplifying the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor.

She waited for the nurse to leave, but the woman stood by the computer, tapping her foot. Chanel reached for the bedside phone. Her hand shook, the plastic receiver feeling slippery in her palm.

She looked at the black card again. Duke Montgomery. The name felt dangerous.

She dialed the number. She recited the digits in her head like a prayer she didn't believe in.

The line rang once. Twice.

Montgomery Private Office. State your business.

The voice on the other end was male, professional, and icy.

Chanel cleared her throat. Her voice was raspy, weak.

I... I was told to call Duke Montgomery.

There was a pause. She could hear the man on the other end typing.

Another reporter? the voice asked, dripping with boredom. Or a creditor?

No, Chanel said, trying to sit up straighter to project some authority. Beckham gave me this card. He said-

Mr. Montgomery does not take calls from Beckham's cast-offs, the man interrupted. Do not call again.

The line went dead. The dial tone hummed, mocking her.

Chanel stared at the receiver. Panic flared in her chest, hot and suffocating. She hung up slowly.

Billing needs a card on file, the nurse said loudly. Now. Or I call security to escort you out.

Chanel saw a clear plastic bag on the chair. It was labeled Patient Belongings. She reached for it, her movements stiff. Inside was a ruined clutch purse. She dug through it and found a wallet.

She pulled out a sleek, platinum credit card. The name on it read Chanel Maldonado.

She handed it to the nurse.

The nurse swiped it through the reader attached to the computer monitor.

A loud, jarring beep filled the room. DECLINED.

The nurse looked at her, eyebrows raised. She swiped it again. harder this time.

DECLINED.

It's frozen, the nurse said. Her voice dripped with judgment.

Chanel felt the blood drain from her face. She took the phone again. She searched the contacts on the screen. There was a contact labeled Mom.

She dialed. This had to work. Mothers helped. That was a universal rule, wasn't it?

Cynthia Maldonado answered on the first ring.

What have you done now? Her mother's voice was sharp, like breaking glass.

Chanel stammered. Mom, I'm in the hospital. My cards aren't working. I don't know what's happening.

You embarrassed us in front of the Montgomerys! Cynthia screamed. The sound distorted through the cheap hospital phone speaker.

Chanel held the phone away from her ear, wincing.

Isamar told me everything, Cynthia continued. You tried to fake a suicide? Driving into a ditch to get Beckham's attention? You are sick, Chanel.

I didn't... I don't remember... Chanel whispered.

I froze the accounts, Cynthia said. Learn your lesson. Don't come home until you fix this with Beckham. Do not show your face here until he takes you back.

The call ended.

Chanel sat there. She was financially and emotionally orphaned in the span of ten minutes.

The nurse crossed her arms. I'm calling security.

Chanel looked at her reflection in the dark screen of her phone. She looked pale, ragged, with dark circles under her eyes. She looked like a victim.

But deep inside, beneath the amnesia and the fear, something clicked. An analytical part of her brain, cold and detached, noted the inconsistencies. Beckham had accused her of stalking him in the Hamptons. Her mother screamed about a faked suicide in a ditch. Two different narratives, both delivered with absolute certainty. The facts didn't align. It was a flawed equation, and it meant that someone-or everyone-was lying. The cold, logical survival instinct took over. It suppressed the urge to cry. Crying solved nothing. Crying was inefficient.

She looked at the black business card again. It was the only door left open. She had to kick it down.