Chapter 3

"You should take your pain medication, Ava," Chad said later that evening.

His voice was solicitous, dripping with false concern.

He held out a glass of water and two pills.

The same pills he' d been giving me for months.

"To help you sleep soundly," he' d always said. "You need your rest, after everything."

So he and Izzy could be together. In our home. In our bed.

My stomach churned.

I took the pills, smiled weakly. "Thank you, Chad. You're so thoughtful."

As soon as he left the room, I palmed them, then flushed them down the toilet.

My mind was clear now. Sharper than it had been in years.

The next day, Izzy announced she was taking the day off.

"It's my birthday!" she chirped, eyes bright.

"Oh, happy birthday, Izzy," I said, feigning surprise. "Do something nice."

"I plan to," she said, a glance flicking towards Chad.

That evening, Chad had an "urgent business dinner."

"So sorry, honey, can't be helped. Baxter Oil crisis." He kissed my forehead.

Liar.

My phone had a new app. A tracking app. Linked to his car.

I watched the little icon move across the city map.

Not towards downtown, where the Baxter Oil building was.

It headed for the hills. The exclusive, private estates.

I got in my own car.

The villa was opulent, lights blazing, music spilling out into the night.

Valet parkers rushed around. This wasn't just a dinner. It was a party.

Izzy' s birthday party. Thrown by Chad.

I parked down the street, my engine off, and watched.

The windows were open. Voices carried on the warm night air.

Chad' s voice, louder than the rest, full of laughter and bravado.

"She' s so fragile since the accident, you know? Easy to manage."

A chorus of laughter from his friends.

"And the Morgan connections? Priceless. Old man Baxter wants this merger, and Ava' s family is key."

My family. My connections.

"Once we're married, Julian won't know what hit him. That division will be mine."

Usurping his own brother.

Then, a voice I didn' t recognize. "But what about, you know... the back? Is it still...?"

Chad' s laugh was particularly ugly. "Snake-skin, man. Made me sick to look at. But she keeps it covered. Smart girl."

Snake-skin.

The breath left my body in a rush.

My hand clenched the steering wheel, knuckles white.

The pain was a living thing, coiling in my chest.

But beneath it, something else.

Ice. Pure, cold ice.

I started the car.

He would pay. They both would.