Chapter 5

Hayden descended the marble staircase of the Vera Wang boutique. Her heart was pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs, but her face was carved from stone.

She pushed her weight against the heavy glass doors and stepped out onto Fifth Avenue.

The afternoon sun was blinding. She squinted, her chest heaving as she pulled in sharp, ragged breaths of the city air. The adrenaline was a toxic fire in her veins.

She turned toward the curb to hail a cab.

That was when she saw it.

Parked illegally in the loading zone was a massive, black Cadillac Escalade. Bernhard's car.

Bernhard was leaning against the passenger door, smoking a cigarette. He wore a tailored charcoal suit, his tie perfectly knotted. He looked like the king of Manhattan.

When he saw Hayden storming out of the boutique, his eyes narrowed. He dropped the cigarette onto the pavement and crushed it under his leather oxford shoe.

He marched toward her, his jaw set in a hard line.

Before Hayden could step around him, his hand shot out. His fingers clamped down on her upper arm like a steel vice.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Bernhard hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "The manager just texted me. She said you destroyed the dress. You poured coffee on the intern?"

His grip was painfully tight. Hayden felt the pressure digging into her muscle, a sharp ache radiating down to her elbow.

She didn't wince. She looked down at his hand, then up at his face. Her eyes were completely dead.

She yanked her arm backward with all her strength.

Bernhard's grip broke. A bright red handprint instantly bloomed on Hayden's pale skin.

"Don't touch me," Hayden said. Her voice was quiet, but it vibrated with a lethal intensity. "Don't ever touch me with the hands you use on other women. You make me sick."

Bernhard froze.

For a split second, the arrogant mask slipped. His eyes widened, and a flash of genuine panic crossed his features.

But Bernhard Cunningham was a man who never lost. He quickly recovered, his face twisting into a sneer of condescension.

"Are you insane?" he scoffed, stepping closer to intimidate her. "You're having a psychotic break. This anniversary anxiety is getting pathetic, Hayden. You're embarrassing yourself."

He reached out again, trying to grab her shoulder, trying to force her into the submission he was so used to.

Hayden took a swift step back, dodging his hand.

She pointed a trembling finger toward the glass doors of the boutique.

"Your 'red rose' is in there crying," Hayden spat, the words tasting like poison on her tongue. "Aren't you going to go comfort her?"

The color completely drained from Bernhard's face.

He stared at her, his mouth slightly open. The realization hit him like a physical blow. She knew. She knew everything.

Pedestrians on the crowded sidewalk began to slow down. People in business suits and tourists with shopping bags turned their heads, drawn to the tension radiating from the wealthy couple fighting on the street.

Bernhard noticed the audience. His vanity flared up, hot and defensive.

He leaned in close, his voice dropping to a vicious, threatening whisper.

"Keep your voice down, Hayden. Remember whose family name you rely on! Without the Cunningham family trust fund, you are nothing! Don't act like a hysterical bitch in the middle of the street."

The word bitch snapped the last remaining thread of Hayden's restraint.

She looked at his handsome, furious face. She saw the photos from the burner account. She saw the crumpled suit on the floor. She saw the Cartier necklace on Brielle's skin.

Hayden planted her feet. She twisted her torso, drawing her right arm back.

She swung.

She put the entire weight of her body into the motion.

SMACK.

The sound of her palm connecting with his cheekbone was deafening. It cracked through the air, sharp and violent, echoing over the noise of the traffic.

The force of the blow snapped Bernhard's head to the side.

He staggered, his heavy frame knocking against the side of the Escalade.

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd of onlookers. A woman covered her mouth. A man in a suit pulled out his phone and started recording.

Bernhard slowly turned his head back. A massive, angry red welt in the shape of a handprint was already swelling on his left cheek. His eyes were wide with pure, unadulterated shock. No one had ever struck him in his entire life.

Before he could speak, the glass doors of the boutique flew open.

Brielle ran out.

She was still wearing the ruined Vera Wang dress. The massive brown coffee stain covered her chest. She was sobbing hysterically, her makeup running down her face in black streaks.

"Bernhard!" Brielle shrieked.

She saw the red mark on his face. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest.

Bernhard's arms instinctively wrapped around Brielle's waist to steady her.

It was a protective gesture. It was undeniable.

They stood there, clinging to each other in the middle of Fifth Avenue, exposed to the world.

Hayden looked at them. A harsh, jagged laugh tore from her throat.

She turned to the crowd of people watching them.

"How touching," Hayden said loudly, her voice ringing clear over the street noise. "I wish the cheating bastard and his intern a lifetime of misery."

Bernhard's face twisted in rage. He pointed a shaking finger at her over Brielle's shoulder.

"You're going to regret this!" he roared. "You are nothing without me! You hear me? Nothing!"

Hayden didn't even blink. She gave him one last look of absolute, chilling disgust.

She turned around and walked to the corner. A yellow cab was just pulling up to the light. She grabbed the door handle, yanked it open, and slid into the backseat.

"Drive," she ordered the driver.

She slammed the door shut. The cab lurched forward, leaving Bernhard screaming her name on the sidewalk.