Chapter 2

My mind was a blank, a roaring static of pain and disbelief.

I was still processing his words when Chloe took a step forward, her expensive heel catching on the edge of our cheap rug. She stumbled, and the glass of red wine in her hand sloshed forward, a dark red stain blooming across the pristine white of her dress.

"My dress!" she shrieked, looking down in horror. "This is vintage Dior! You clumsy bitch!"

Liam' s face went from cold to furious in an instant. He turned on me, his eyes blazing.

"Look what you did! Are you trying to ruin everything for me?"

"I didn't do anything," I said, my voice trembling. "She tripped."

"Apologize to her," Liam commanded, his voice low and dangerous.

I stared at him. "What?"

"I said, apologize. Now."

Chloe crossed her arms, a smug smile on her face. "I don't just want an apology. I want her on her knees. Like the maid she is."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This was Liam. The man I loved. The man who had cried in my arms when his first prototype failed.

"Liam, no," I pleaded.

His hand shot out and grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my skin like claws.

"On your knees, Ava. Don't make me repeat myself."

The pain in my arm was sharp, but the pain in my heart was a gaping wound. He was serious. He would hurt me.

He pushed me down. My knees hit the worn wooden floor with a hard thud. The shock of it traveled up my spine.

I looked up at them, standing over me like judges. Liam, the man I had given everything to, and this stranger, who looked at me with pure contempt.

"I'm... sorry," I forced the words out, my throat tight.

Chloe just smirked. "That's better."

Liam let go of my arm, wiping his hand on his pants as if he'd touched something dirty.

He turned to Chloe, his voice instantly changing to one of sweet concern. "Let's go, darling. We'll get you a new dress. A hundred new dresses. I'll deal with... this."

They left. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving me on the floor in the ruins of my life.

I stayed there for a long time, the smell of the ruined dinner making me sick.

Later that night, he came back alone. I had packed a small bag with the few things that were mine. I was ready to leave.

He blocked the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"You told me to leave," I said, my voice hoarse.

"I've been thinking," he said, pacing the small room. "You can't just leave. You know too much. What if you go to the press? A jilted ex-lover, it's a messy story. It could scare my investors."

A cold fear started to creep into my heart.

"I won't say anything, Liam. I just want to go."

He stopped pacing and looked at me. A strange, calculating look was in his eyes.

"I can't risk it," he said softly. "My future is too important."

He walked to the kitchen counter and poured a glass of water from the tap. He brought it to me.

"You look pale. Drink this. It will calm your nerves."

I didn't want it, but he pressed it into my hand. "Drink it, Ava."

His insistence was strange. My mind, now sharpened by the return of my memories and the shock of his betrayal, screamed a warning. A few days ago, my paranoia about his recent secretive behavior had led me to place a tiny audio recorder, a piece of Sterling-Vance tech, behind a loose power outlet. I suddenly felt a desperate need to retrieve it.

But right now, I just wanted to get out. I took a small sip to appease him, the water tasting faintly bitter.

He watched me, a small, satisfied smile on his lips. "Good girl."

A moment later, a burning sensation started in my throat. It felt like I had swallowed acid. I tried to scream, to call for help, but no sound came out. Only a choked, rasping gasp.

I dropped the glass, which shattered on the floor. I clutched my throat, my eyes wide with terror as I looked at him.

He just watched me, his expression unreadable.

"Just a little something to keep you quiet for a while," he said calmly, as if discussing the weather. "It damages the vocal cords. Don't worry, I'm told it's temporary."

The burning intensified. I couldn't breathe. My vision started to swim.

"You're a liability, Ava," he said, his voice the last thing I heard as my world went dark. "I have to take care of my liabilities." He dragged my limp body toward the basement door.