Chapter 4

The key scraped against the lock. It took Haylie three tries to get the door open. When she finally pushed it open, the motion sensor light in the hallway blazed to life.

The brightness was a physical assault. She threw an arm over her eyes, the sudden glare triggering a fresh wave of tears. Her legs gave out. She crumpled onto the small rug in the entryway, her body folding like a paper doll.

"Haylie?" Brenda McCarthy's voice drifted from the back bedroom. A moment later, heavy footsteps hurried down the hall. "Haylie, is that you?"

The older woman appeared around the corner, wrapped in a floral bathrobe. She stopped dead, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my Lord."

Haylie looked up at her. She tried to speak, to say she was okay, but the words were trapped behind the lump in her throat. All she could do was shake.

Brenda rushed forward, dropping to her knees on the hardwood floor. She gathered Haylie into her arms, the embrace tight and warm. "You're freezing," Brenda gasped, rubbing her hands up and down Haylie's arms. "You're soaking wet. What happened? Where have you been?"

Haylie buried her face in Brenda's shoulder, the sobs finally breaking free. They were ugly, gasping sounds that tore at her throat.

"Shh," Brenda soothed, though her own voice was trembling. "It's okay. You're home now. Let's get you out of these clothes."

Brenda peeled the ruined dress off her. The fabric was stiff with dried rain and dirt. When the dress fell away, Brenda inhaled sharply.

Haylie's skin was a map of disaster. Dark purple bruises dotted her hips. Red scratches marred her collarbone. And on her inner thighs, the evidence was unmistakable.

Brenda didn't ask. She just pressed her lips together, her eyes hardening with a fury that Haylie had never seen before. "Run a bath," she said quietly. "I'll get the towels."

Haylie sat on the edge of the tub, staring at the water as it filled. Steam rose into the small bathroom, fogging the mirror. When the water was deep enough, she stepped in.

The heat was agonizing. It stung her scrapes and made her bruises throb. She grabbed the bar of soap and started to scrub. She scrubbed her arms, her chest, her legs. She scrubbed until the skin was raw and pink. She scrubbed until the water turned cloudy, trying to wash away the feel of Chester's hands on her body.

But the phantom sensation remained. No matter how hard she rubbed, she could still feel his breath on her neck, his weight pressing her down.

She stepped out of the tub, wrapping herself in a thick terrycloth robe. She padded into the living room and sank into the worn sofa.

Brenda appeared a moment later, carrying a mug of steaming milk. "Drink," she ordered, pressing it into Haylie's hands. "It'll help you sleep."

Haylie wrapped her fingers around the warm ceramic. The heat seeped into her palms, a small comfort. She raised the mug to her lips.

The backup phone on the coffee table buzzed.

Haylie's hand jerked. Hot milk sloshed over the rim, spilling onto her wrist and hand. A red welt immediately rose on her skin. She didn't feel it. She was staring at the phone.

The screen lit up with a text message. The sender was Bryan.

She put the mug down with a clatter. Her fingers trembled as she picked up the phone and opened the message.

It was a photo. Bryan, in a tuxedo, his arm around a tall blonde woman in a stunning white gown. They were standing on a balcony, the Manhattan skyline glittering behind them. They looked perfect. They looked happy.

The text below the photo was brief. "This is the woman my parents approve of. Tiffany Drexel."

Haylie's vision tunneled. The phone shook so violently in her hand that it was a blur.

A second message popped up. "We are engaged. Don't humiliate yourself further."

The phone slipped from her grasp. It hit the carpet with a soft thud, the screen remaining lit, Tiffany's perfect smile a mockery in the dark room.

Brenda leaned over and picked it up. She read the messages, her face turning red. "That son of a bitch," she hissed. "That gutless, spineless-"

A wave of nausea rolled over Haylie. She clamped a hand over her mouth and bolted for the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in time. Her stomach convulsed, but there was nothing inside her. She heaved until her ribs ached, bringing up nothing but bitter, burning acid.

She flushed the toilet and leaned her forehead against the cool porcelain. She looked up at the mirror above the sink.

The face staring back at her was a stranger's. Sunken eyes. Pale, cracked lips. Wet hair hanging in rats' tails. She looked dead already.

"Haylie?" Brenda knocked on the door, her voice tight with worry. "Are you sick? Let me in."

Haylie reached out and turned the lock. The click was loud in the silence.

"No," she croaked, her voice raw. "I'm fine."

She turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face. She dried off with a towel and walked back into the living room, moving like a sleepwalker.

"I'm going to bed," she said.

Brenda stood up. "Let me stay with you. I can make some tea-"

"No." The word was sharper than she intended. She just wanted to be alone. She wanted to disappear. "Goodnight, Brenda."

She walked into her tiny bedroom and shut the door. She didn't turn on the light. She walked to the corner of the bed and curled into a ball, pulling the duvet over her head.

The darkness was absolute. The sound of the rain outside was a constant drumbeat. She closed her eyes, but all she saw was Chester's furious face. All she felt was Bryan's rejection.

She reached under her pillow and pulled out the same backup phone she had clutched in the rain. She needed to know. She needed to see the damage.

She opened the browser and typed in "Steele Industrial leak."

The results were a punch to the gut. Hundreds of articles. "Corporate Espionage at Steele." "Junior Analyst Sells Secrets." "FBI Investigating Data Breach."

She clicked on a news article. The comments section was a sewer of vitriol. "Lock her up." "Greedy bitch." "Hope she rots in jail." And there, attached to one of the comments, was a photo. Her staff ID photo, circled in red.

Her heart hammered against her ribs. They knew who she was. They knew what she looked like.

She dropped the phone like it was on fire. She scrambled out of bed and yanked the phone cord from the wall. She turned off her backup phone and shoved it under the mattress.

She crawled back into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. She lay there, staring into the darkness, waiting for the morning that she knew would bring nothing but pain.