Chapter 3

"It's not your fault, my poor baby," Griffin cooed, stroking Kassie's hair. His voice was thick with a tenderness Allie hadn't heard in months. "She's just jealous. She knows she can't compete with you."

Kassie looked up at him, her big, innocent eyes swimming with fake tears. "But she's the one you're going to marry, Griffin. I shouldn't even be here. I'm just... I'm just your assistant."

"Don't say that," Griffin said, his voice firm. He tilted her chin up. "The position of Mrs. Ryan isn't set in stone. Not yet."

The words were a physical blow. Allie felt the air leave her lungs, and she stumbled back against the wall, her hand flying to her chest to try and stop the pain.

Griffin's head snapped up. He saw her. His expression shifted instantly from concern to cold, hard suspicion.

"Allie? What are you doing here? Are you following me?" He took a step forward, positioning himself defensively in front of Kassie, as if Allie were some kind of threat.

The protective gesture hurt more than his words.

"I was... Devon had a doctor's appointment," she stammered, pointing down the hall. Her voice was raw with unshed tears. "Griffin, what you did to him yesterday... the doctor said it could have killed him. He's just a boy!"

A flicker of something-guilt, maybe-crossed Griffin's face, but it was gone in an instant. Kassie's presence erased any trace of his conscience.

"He's fine. I didn't even touch him," Griffin said dismissively.

"He's seventeen!" Allie cried, her voice cracking. "How can you be so cruel?"

"Oh, Allie, I'm so sorry," Kassie chimed in from behind Griffin, her voice dripping with false sympathy. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have told Griffin you upset me. I'll go."

Griffin pulled her back, wrapping an arm around her possessively. "Don't be silly. It's not your fault she's a jealous bitch." He looked at Kassie, then leaned down and kissed her, a long, slow kiss right in front of Allie.

Allie let out a bitter, broken laugh. The sound was ugly, but she couldn't stop it. Everyone in their circle called her the luckiest woman in New York, the Cinderella who had captured the prince. They didn't see the bars on her gilded cage. They didn't see the monster behind the charming smile. This wasn't a fairytale. It was a nightmare.

"Excuse me," she said, her voice flat and dead. "I need to get by."

She tried to step around them, but Griffin's hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. "Not so fast."

His eyes were cold. "Kassie was in a minor car accident this morning. It was just a fender bender, but she's very shaken up. The doctor wants to give her a nutrient IV to help with the shock, but she's terrified of needles." His gaze flickered to the blood donation center down the hall. "She needs blood. You'll give it."

Allie stared at him, her mind refusing to process the monstrous demand. "What?"

"Kassie has a rare blood type. So do you. It's a perfect match."

Allie felt a wave of dizziness. She had mild anemia. Griffin knew this. He used to be the one who made sure she took her iron supplements, who would lecture her if she looked too pale. That care, which she had once treasured, now felt like another lie.

"We... we're not the same blood type," she said weakly, a desperate lie. "I'm O-positive. She's..."

"Don't be difficult, Allie," Griffin cut her off. "The gesture is what matters. It will show her how sorry you are."

He pulled back and looked at Kassie. "What do you think, sweetheart? Should she do it?"

He was giving the power to Kassie, turning her humiliation into a spectacle for his mistress's amusement.

Before Allie could protest, two of Griffin's bodyguards appeared, grabbing her arms. They dragged her towards the donation center, her feet stumbling on the polished floor.

They strapped her into the chair. The needle went in, a sharp, cold sting. She watched her own blood, dark and red, snake through the plastic tube. She felt lightheaded, the room spinning slightly.

The nurse looked at her with concern. "Sir, she's very pale. We've taken a full pint. Any more could be dangerous."

Griffin, who was standing by the door with Kassie wrapped in his arms, didn't even glance over. "Keep going. I'll tell you when to stop."

The nurse looked horrified but didn't dare defy him. The machine kept whirring. Allie's vision started to blur at the edges. The world faded to a dull gray. She could hear Griffin and Kassie whispering and laughing, their voices a cruel, distant murmur.

She woke up in a small, empty recovery room. A blanket was tossed over her. Her head throbbed, and a deep, aching weakness settled in her bones. She pushed herself up and saw it.

On the trash can next to her cot, tossed aside like garbage, was the bag of her blood.

She remembered then, a hazy memory from before she passed out. Kassie's voice, high and disgusted.

"Ew, Griffin, I don't want her blood in me. It's probably dirty. Just throw it away."

And Griffin's easy laugh. "Whatever you want, baby."

They had taken her blood, pushed her to the brink of collapse, just to throw it away. It wasn't about helping Kassie. It was about breaking Allie.

And as she stared at the discarded bag of her own life force, she knew he had succeeded. Something inside her shattered completely.