Chapter 5 5

Francesca did not remember the subway ride home. She did not remember walking up the three flights of stairs.

She stood under the shower in her tiny bathroom, the water turned as hot as it would go. The steam filled the room, but she could not stop shaking. The cold was inside her bones.

She looked down at her hands. They were red and raw from scrubbing. She felt dirty. Not from the puddle on the street, but from the look in Anton's eyes. You make me sick. The words played on a loop in her head, tearing open her chest and pouring salt into the wound.

The girl who had spent seven years secretly drawing his face, hoping he would one day look at her with kindness, died in that puddle.

She turned off the water. She wrapped a towel around her shivering body and walked into her bedroom. Her jaw was set. Her eyes were dry and hollow. The pain had burned itself out, leaving behind a cold, hard anger.

She picked up her phone from the nightstand. She opened her messages and typed his name. She had to end this. Not to save her own feelings, but to protect Julian and Hayden.

She typed fast, her thumbs hitting the screen with aggressive force.

Anton, what you saw tonight is the truth. Hayden is Julian's fiancée. They have been together for years. I did not tell you because I wanted to keep them out of your crosshairs. Stop this. Leave them alone.

She hit send.

She stared at the screen, her chest rising and falling rapidly. Five seconds passed. Then, a red exclamation mark appeared next to the text bubble. Message failed to send.

She frowned. She tapped the retry button. Failed again.

A cold knot formed in her stomach. She dialed his number. The call did not even ring; it went straight to an automated voice telling her the number was unavailable.

He had blocked her.

Francesca let out a harsh, bitter breath. She walked out to the living room. Her roommate's phone was charging on the kitchen counter. She grabbed it, dialed Anton's number from memory, and held it to her ear.

It rang. Once. Twice.

She hung up immediately. He had not blocked her number from the network. He had specifically blocked her. He had convicted her in his mind and shut the door. He did not want her explanation.

Just then, her own phone vibrated in her hand. It was Hayden.

Francesca cleared her throat, forcing the tremor out of her voice. She answered. "Hey, Hay."

"Fran, did you get home okay?" Hayden's voice was warm and full of concern. "That rain was awful. You didn't wait too long for your car, did you?"

Tears pricked the back of Francesca's eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut. "No, I got one right away. I'm home. Just got out of the shower."

"Okay, good. Julian says hi. We'll see you this weekend."

"See you," Francesca whispered. She ended the call. She looked at the dark window, watching the rain streak down the glass. She made a silent vow. She would not let Anton destroy them. She would fight him.

Her phone chimed. A text message.

It was from an unknown number. But Francesca knew instantly who it was.

Fiancée? Good. I love a challenge.

The blood drained from Francesca's face. Her stomach plummeted. He had unblocked her just to send this. Her explanation had not stopped him. It had only poured gasoline on the fire. He knew the truth, and he did not care. It was a game to him.

A second text arrived a moment later.

I am giving you one last chance, Francesca. Stand with me, or stand with them and burn together.

Her lungs seized. She stared at the glowing words, the sheer malice of the threat suffocating her. He was promising total destruction.

Francesca's hands stopped shaking. She pressed her lips into a thin, white line. She tapped the screen, deleted the conversation, and blocked the unknown number.

It was her answer. She would burn.