Chapter 4

The first thing I did was call the cemetery manager.

"Dig up my mother's grave," I ordered, my voice devoid of emotion. "I'm taking her with me."

The manager sputtered on the other end of the line, but I didn't give him a chance to argue.

I watched as the workers carefully unearthed the urn. I took it, holding it tight against my chest. It was the only piece of my past I was taking with me. Everything else would be burned to the ground.

My phone buzzed relentlessly. Kameron. Dozens of missed calls and frantic texts. I turned it off without a second glance.

"Ma'am," the cemetery manager said, his voice trembling as he looked at me. "Are you sure about this? Demolishing the... the whole cemetery?"

"Level it," I said, my voice as cold as the tombstone I was leaving behind. "I want nothing left. And if a word of this gets out, I'll make sure you're buried in the rubble."

He paled, nodding frantically.

I drove away, my mother's ashes secure on the passenger seat. I hadn't gone far when a fleet of black cars screeched to a halt, blocking my path.

Kameron's car was at the front. He flung his door open and ran towards me, his face a mask of panic.

He slammed his fists on my window. "Hailey! Open the door! Hailey, please!"

His voice was hoarse, desperate. "I was so scared. I thought you were gone. I was going crazy, baby."

I stared at him, at his perfect, tormented face. For a fleeting moment, the old love flickered, a phantom pain in my chest. He looked so genuinely terrified.

Then the light from my phone, still clutched in my hand, illuminated my face. The screen was dark, but I knew what was on it. The picture of him and Carleen. The texts.

The illusion shattered. His love wasn't real. It was a performance, a tool to keep me in line. I was just a part he played, a beautiful tragedy he directed.

He wrenched the car door open and pulled me out, crushing me against his chest. His embrace was suffocating.

"Your eyes are all red," he said, his voice turning sharp with anger. He held my face in his hands, his gaze searching mine. "Who made you cry? Tell me who hurt you, and I'll kill them."

The irony was so thick I could choke on it.

I pulled away from him. "I went to see my mother," I said calmly.

His expression softened instantly. He was so good at this, at switching masks. "Oh, baby. I'm so sorry." He had one of his men bring an ice pack for my eyes, his touch gentle, his voice full of fake concern.

"Don't scare me like that again," he whispered, his grip on my arm tightening. "I can't lose you, Hailey. I can't."

I just looked down, hiding the cold fury in my eyes. You have no idea what it's like to be scared, Kameron, I thought. But you will.

He suggested we go to the cemetery together, to pay our respects to my mother.

"I'm tired," I said, pulling my arm away. "I want to go home."

He relented immediately, always the doting husband. On the way back, he held me tight, showing me brochures for a new villa he wanted to build for us on a private island. I stared out the window, letting his words wash over me, a meaningless drone.

When we walked into the house, she was there.

Carleen. Curled up on the sofa, looking small and fragile.

I ignored her, heading straight for the stairs.

"Hailey," she called out, her voice weak and raspy. She stood up, swaying slightly. "I'm sorry. I just... I waited for Kameron in the rain. I think I have a fever."

She looked at me with pleading eyes. "I'll leave now. I don't want to make you angry."

I saw Kameron's gaze soften with pity as he looked at her. It was a fleeting expression, but it was enough.

He scooped me up into his arms, as if to prove his loyalty to me. "I'll take you upstairs, baby," he said, then looked over his shoulder at Carleen. "Go home. And don't come back."

As he spoke, Carleen's eyes rolled back in her head, and she collapsed to the floor in a dead faint.

Without a second of hesitation, Kameron let go of me.

I tumbled backwards, my body hitting the hard marble steps with a sickening thud. Pain shot up my spine.

He didn't even look at me.

He rushed to Carleen's side, gathering her into his arms. His face was a mask of pure panic.

"Carleen! Wake up! Somebody call a doctor! Now!" he roared, his voice filled with a terror he had only ever faked for me.