Chapter 7

Giana stomped down the hallway and stopped at the top of the curved walnut staircase. She grabbed the carved wooden railing. She gripped it so hard her knuckles turned stark white.

She looked down at the grand foyer.

Gary Fletcher stood near the entrance. He wore a tailored khaki trench coat. He held a massive bouquet of red roses. He was looking around with a perfectly practiced expression of panic.

Bile rose in Giana's throat. This was the man who had looked her in the eye and told her she was worthless right before taking everything she owned.

Delilah stepped out from the hallway below. She saw Gary and immediately put on her soft, victim face.

"Gary, you're finally here," Delilah whispered. She stepped close to him, letting her shoulder brush against his chest.

Gary instinctively put his hand on Delilah's waist. For one split second, they looked at each other. It wasn't a look of concern. It was a look of shared, dirty secrets.

Giana saw the look. The betrayal from her past life crashed into her current reality. The rage was too big for her body to hold.

"Gary?" Giana whispered his name. Her voice was trembling, perfectly laced with a mixture of heartbreak and shock. She let her lower lip quiver just enough to sell the performance.

Gary and Delilah jumped. They ripped themselves apart and looked up at the second floor.

When Gary saw Giana standing there, a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. He quickly masked it with a wide, relieved smile.

"Oh, Giana! Thank God!" Gary started walking toward the bottom of the stairs, holding the roses out. "Where were you? I was dying of worry!"

His fake voice echoed in her ears. It mixed with the memory of his cruel laughter.

She needed him to think she was completely devastated by what she had just witnessed. She marched down the stairs to confront him, her eyes fixed on his guilty face, ignoring the steepness of the steps. She took a hasty step forward, but she was wearing smooth silk socks. Her foot hit the polished hardwood floor and slipped.

She lost her balance completely. She threw her hand out to grab the railing, but her fingers closed around empty air.

"Watch out!" Delilah screamed from below. It sounded entirely fake.

Giana's body pitched forward. She tumbled down the steep wooden stairs. Her shoulder slammed into the edge of a step. Her ribs cracked against the wood. The world flipped upside down in a violent blur of pain.

She hit the marble floor at the bottom with a sickening thud. Her forehead smashed against the bottom step.

Hot blood instantly poured down the side of her face.

Her vision went black at the edges. She couldn't move. She could only see Gary and Delilah's blurry faces hovering over her.

"Giana! Wake up!" Gary yelled. He put his hand on her shoulder, but Giana could feel that his grip was weak. He wasn't trying to help her up. He was just touching her for show.

Angele ran out of the kitchen. She saw the blood pooling on the white marble and let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Call an ambulance! Gary, call 911!" Angele dropped to her knees and pressed her hands against Giana's bleeding head.

Gary slowly pulled his phone out of his pocket. Delilah stood behind him, her hands covering her mouth, but Giana could see the corners of her eyes crinkling. Delilah was smiling.

The sound of sirens pierced the air. Paramedics rushed into the house.

They lifted Giana onto a stretcher. A plastic oxygen mask was strapped over her face. The smell of plastic and blood mixed in her nose before she finally passed out.

Hours later, the sharp smell of bleach woke her up.

Giana didn't open her eyes. She felt the heavy bandage on her forehead. She felt the needle of an IV tube taped to the back of her hand. She was in a hospital bed.

She kept her breathing slow and even. She listened.

"The doctor said it's just a minor concussion and some bruising. She's not going to die." Gary's voice floated from the corner of the room. He sounded deeply annoyed.

"She is so incredibly lucky," Delilah giggled softly. "To fall from that high up and only get a minor concussion."

Giana's heart pounded against her ribs. They thought she was asleep.