Chapter 4

I was floating in a dark, warm space. There was a dull, throbbing pain somewhere far away.

I saw Andreas. He was younger, back in college. We were caught in a fire at a friend's party. The smoke was thick, choking us. He had grabbed my hand, his grip like steel.

"I'll get you out, Jewel," he had yelled over the roar of the flames.

A burning beam had fallen, and he had thrown himself over me, taking the blow on his back. He had screamed in pain, but he never let go of my hand.

He had carried me out of that burning building. Later, in the hospital, with his back covered in bandages, he had looked at me and said, "As long as you're safe, nothing else matters."

That was the man I fell in love with. The man who would shield me from a falling beam.

The memory dissolved. The pain in my hands sharpened, pulling me back to the present. The man who would shield me from a falling beam had just let a lighting rig fall on me.

I opened my eyes. I was in a hospital room. The smell of antiseptic filled my nostrils.

Andreas was sitting by my bed, his head in his hands. He looked up when he heard me stir.

"Jewel," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "You're awake."

He reached for my hands, but they were wrapped in thick bandages.

A nurse came in, smiling brightly. "Oh, good, you're awake. Your husband has been so worried. He hasn't left your side."

She checked my vitals.

"You're a very lucky lady," she said. "Mr. Cordova got you and his other guest out of there so fast."

"Other guest?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"Yes, the other woman who was injured. Annabelle. He carried her out first, then came back for you. Such a hero."

He saved her first.

The words hit me with the force of a physical blow. In a moment of life and death, he chose her. I was an afterthought.

The final piece of my shattered heart turned to dust.

"I don't understand," I said, looking at him. My voice was dangerously calm. "I thought I was your wife."

Andreas flinched. The nurse looked confused.

"Oh, no, honey," the nurse said, laughing lightly. "Mrs. Cordova-Annabelle-was here earlier. She just left to check on their baby. A real trooper, that one."

Andreas shot to his feet, knocking over a glass of water. It shattered on the floor. The nurse fell silent, intimidated by his sudden rage.

The sound of the breaking glass cleared the fog in my head. I remembered everything. The sabotaged crane. Annabelle's smug face. Andreas screaming her name.

Him saving her first.

I looked at him, my eyes cold and clear.

"What did she mean, Andreas?" I asked. "His wife, Annabelle."

"She's confused, Jewel," he said, his voice pleading. "She doesn't know what she's talking about."

He tried to take my bandaged hand again.

"I believe you," I said softly.

The fight went out of him. He visibly relaxed, relief washing over his face. He thought he had dodged the bullet. He didn't realize the bullet had already gone straight through my heart and there was nothing left to save.

"I'm tired," I said, closing my eyes. "I want to sleep."

He looked panicked by my calmness. He knew something was wrong, fundamentally wrong. He started to apologize, to promise he'd make everything right.

I didn't listen. I just turned my face to the wall.

He was called away by a doctor a few minutes later. As soon as he was gone, my eyes snapped open. There were no more tears left to cry.

My heart was dead.

I fumbled for my phone with my bandaged hands. I sent a text to the lawyer Cassidy had found for me.

He's here. I'm ready to file.

Then I sent another text to Cassidy.

Get me the marriage certificate. The real one. Andreas Cordova and Annabelle Downs.

The replies came back within minutes.

On it. from the lawyer.

And from Cassidy: I already have it. I'll send it over.

A moment later, a file appeared on my phone. It was a digital copy of a marriage certificate. Issued seven years ago. The names on it were Andreas Cordova and Annabelle Downs.

So, my five-year marriage was a lie. Our wedding, the beautiful ceremony, the vows we exchanged... it was all a performance. A sham.

I wasn't just the other woman. I was a fool.

A sound escaped my lips, a strangled, broken thing. I thought I knew what pain was. I was wrong. This was a new dimension of agony.

All the careful planning, the need for a quiet escape-it all evaporated in the face of that single, damning fact. Seven years. My caution was a joke. My life was a joke. I didn't want a plan anymore. I wanted to see the look on his face when he knew I knew everything.

I struggled out of bed, my hands screaming in protest. I didn't care. I pulled on my clothes, my movements clumsy and awkward.

I had to confront him.

I found him in the hospital cafeteria, talking on the phone. I walked right up to him and shoved my phone in his face, the marriage certificate glowing on the screen.

"Seven years, Andreas," I said, my voice shaking with a rage that was terrifying in its intensity. "Our entire life together, you were already married."

He looked at the screen, and all the color drained from his face. He looked up at me, his eyes wide with panic.

"Jewel, I can explain..."

"I'm divorcing you," I said, my voice flat. "Or, well, I guess I can't, can I? Since we were never legally married."

I snatched the phone back and dialed Cassidy's number.

"I'm leaving him, Cassidy. Come and get me."

Before Cassidy could answer, Andreas lunged. He ripped the phone from my grasp and smashed it against the wall. It shattered into a dozen pieces.

I stared at him, shocked. I had never seen this side of him. His face was a mask of fury, his eyes wild and possessive.

"You're not leaving," he hissed, his voice a low growl. "You're mine. You're never, ever leaving me."

He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh. I tried to pull away, but he was too strong. He dragged me out of the cafeteria, ignoring the stares of the other people.

I screamed for help, but no one moved. They probably thought it was a domestic dispute.

He shoved me into his car and locked the doors. He got in the driver's side and turned to me, his eyes burning with a terrifying light.

"You want to leave me, Jewel?" he said, his voice dangerously soft. "I'll show you what happens when you try to leave me."

He started the car and drove, not towards our home, but towards the new studio. Towards the cage he had built for me.

I realized then that the man I had loved was gone. In his place was a monster. And I was trapped with him.