Chapter 5

Three days later, the Hamptons.

The Gray family estate sprawled across acres of manicured lawn that ended abruptly at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The sea wind howled off the water, whipping the expensive white roses adorning the makeshift altar on the lawn.

Eliza stood at the edge of the red carpet. She had been stuffed into a cheap, ill-fitting wedding dress that was at least one size too small, the fabric scratching her skin. She clutched her white cane in a death grip.

Through the thin, sheer veil covering her face, she let her eyes wander. She wasn't looking at the ocean. She was looking at the guests. The women in their haute couture, the men in their tailored blazers, sipping champagne while pretending they weren't staring at the freak show.

The officiant shifted uncomfortably, checking his watch for the fifth time. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

The groom was nowhere to be seen.

A few burly security guards stood near the altar, their faces blank, but even they looked embarrassed. The whispers from the crowd were getting louder, the fake pity curdling into open mockery.

"She actually thought she was going to be a bride."

"Incubator is more like it."

"Disgusting. A cripple buying her way in with a bastard."

Eliza's enhanced hearing caught every single word. She kept her face perfectly blank, her chin tucked down, playing the part of the terrified, helpless blind girl to perfection.

The click of expensive heels on the stone pathway silenced the crowd. Jordyn Alvarez glided onto the red carpet. She wore a stunning crimson gown that probably cost more than Eliza's entire life, a champagne flute dangling carelessly from her manicured fingers.

Jordyn stopped in the center of the aisle, her voice carrying over the wind with practiced sweetness. "Well, since Clifford is busy closing a multi-billion dollar deal, I think it's only fair we find someone to fill in. We can't expect the poor girl to walk alone, can we?"

She waved her hand toward the edge of the lawn, where a young Latino man in a janitor's uniform was emptying a trash can. "You. Come here. Walk her down the aisle."

A ripple of cruel laughter swept through the guests. It was a power play, a public humiliation designed to put Eliza in her place-below the help.

The janitor looked terrified. He wiped his hands on his pants, but two security guards grabbed his arms and shoved him toward the red carpet. He stopped in front of Eliza, his eyes glued to the floor.

Underneath the voluminous skirt of her wedding dress, Eliza's hands curled into fists. Her nails bit into her palms hard enough to draw blood.

But she took a deep breath, forcing her facial muscles to relax into a tragic, compliant smile. She reached out with her free hand, pretending to grope the air, until her fingers lightly brushed the janitor's rough, coarse sleeve.

Jordyn rolled her eyes at Eliza's submission. "Boring," she muttered, turning on her heel and sashaying back to her seat.

The wedding march began to play. Eliza walked slowly, guided by a man who smelled of bleach and sweat, toward an altar where no one was waiting for her.

With every step, she scanned the faces in the crowd. She memorized the face of every sneering socialite, every condescending tycoon. She burned their features into her enhanced memory.

They reached the altar. The officiant stammered through the vows, his voice tight with awkwardness. "Do you, Eliza, take Clifford-"

"I do," Eliza said. Her voice was soft, but it cut through the wind with absolute clarity.

There was no exchange of rings. There was no kiss. Just a lawyer stepping forward, slapping a marriage certificate onto a cheap folding table.

The janitor was pulled away. Eliza stood alone at the table. She picked up the pen, her hand hovering over the paper.

The moment the pen touched the paper, a flash of memory hit her. She was fifteen again, her head forced down onto a desk by Cade Pask, her hand forced to sign away her inheritance. The same suffocating helplessness. The same violation.

But this time, as she looked at the paper, she didn't feel helpless. She felt the cold, sharp edge of murder in her heart.

She pressed down, her hand trembling convincingly. The signature came out shaky and crooked, the tail of the 'n' dragging just below the line. The perfect, clumsy signature of a blind woman.

The lawyer snatched the paper away, his lip curling in distaste. "The union is legal," he announced flatly.

There was no applause. The guests immediately turned their backs on her, swarming the champagne tower and resuming their gossip.

Eliza stood alone on the wind-swept lawn, her cheap veil whipping around her face. She reached up and pulled the veil off, letting the sea breeze hit her skin.

She stared out at the churning gray waters of the Atlantic. In her mind, the neural interface hummed, sharpening her focus. She wasn't just looking; she was analyzing, memorizing every guard's patrol route she could spot, every camera she could see from her position. The hunt had begun.