Chapter 5

Gerrit wrapped his arms around Seraphina, lifting her gently from the carpet. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice thick with panic.

Seraphina buried her face in his chest. She shook her head, putting on a brave face. "It's not Kaia's fault. I just lost my balance."

That sentence was gasoline on a fire. Gerrit snapped his head around. His eyes were dead and cold as he glared at Kaia, who was still crumpled on the floor.

"If she has a single scratch on her, I will make you pay for it," Gerrit snarled.

He kept his arm tightly around Seraphina's waist. He turned his back on Kaia and walked straight out the front door.

The heavy door clicked shut. The apartment fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

Kaia pressed her hand against her bleeding waist. Her entire body shook violently. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

She clamped her teeth together, tasting copper. She planted her hands flat on the blood-stained carpet and forced her arms to push her body up.

She dragged her feet across the floor, limping heavily toward the coffee table. She reached out with a trembling hand and straightened the manila envelope that had been knocked askew.

Every step toward the bathroom felt like walking on broken glass. The tearing sensation in her waist mixed with the deep, gnawing ache of the cancer in her abdomen.

She flipped on the harsh bathroom lights. She peeled off the ruined white blouse. A massive, dark purple bruise surrounded a deep, jagged gash on her side.

She opened the first aid kit. She soaked a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol and slammed it directly onto the open wound. She threw her head back and sucked in a sharp breath as the burning pain ripped through her nerves.

She wrapped thick white bandages tightly around her torso. She pulled a massive, oversized black silk robe over her shoulders, completely hiding the blood and the gauze.

Kaia walked out of the bathroom. She looked at the clock on the wall. She walked into the open kitchen.

She opened the stainless steel refrigerator. She pulled out fresh vegetables and a cut of prime steak. Her hands hovered over the marble counter, staring at the ingredients she had purchased to prepare Gerrit's favorite meal. This was the dinner she had planned to make last night to seal their three-month deal. Now, looking at the raw meat, a violent wave of nausea twisted her stomach. The memory of his cruel shove and Seraphina's mocking smile echoed in her mind. Her hands trembled as she grabbed the expensive steak and the organic vegetables, hurling them violently into the stainless steel trash can. There would be no dinner. It was a funeral for their marriage. The sterile, cold smell of the empty apartment surrounded her, doing nothing to mask the faint, metallic scent of blood lingering in the air.

She dragged herself to the dining table. She didn't strike a match; she simply sat in the freezing darkness. Kaia sat in the chair next to the head of the table. She stared at the empty, unlit silver candelabra. She waited as the sky outside turned pitch black.

The clock ticked endlessly. The silence in the room grew heavy and stiff. The cold air formed a chilling film over her bare skin. The night dragged on in total, unbroken misery.

Just before midnight, the front door unlocked. Gerrit walked in alone.

He took off his suit jacket. The heavy, sweet scent of Seraphina's perfume instantly flooded the room.

Kaia's stomach violently rejected the smell. Acid rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down.

Gerrit walked past the dining area. He stopped when he saw the empty table and Kaia sitting in the shadows.

He looked at her face. Her skin was a terrifying shade of gray, and her lips were completely white.

His eyebrows pulled together. "Are you sick?" he asked, the words slipping out automatically.

Kaia slowly lifted her eyes. She looked at him. "My stomach hurts."

The slight concern in Gerrit's eyes vanished instantly. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Playing the victim now? Trying to use a stomachache to get out of what you did this afternoon?"

He didn't look at the food again. He walked straight past the table and down the hallway.

Kaia sat perfectly still. She listened to the sound of the shower turning on in the guest bathroom. She reached out and closed her eyes, plunging herself into total darkness.