Chapter 8

Charlotte looked at Kalia, her expression blank. "Excuse me."

Kalia didn' t move. "You know, for a while there, I almost thought you had a chance. But you were never a match for me. He loves me. He was never going to love you."

"Your love is built on his bank account," Charlotte replied, her voice devoid of emotion. "You're a canary in a gilded cage. A very expensive pet. But a pet is all you'll ever be."

She started to walk past.

Kalia grabbed her wrist, her nails digging into Charlotte' s skin. "He will never love you!" she hissed, her face contorted with jealousy.

Charlotte tried to pull her arm away, but Kalia held on tight. They struggled for a moment, a clumsy, desperate dance of hatred. Their feet tangled, and they lost their balance, tumbling together over the low railing of the walkway and into the cold, dark water of the artificial lake beside the building.

The shock of the icy water was a jolt to her system. But it was the water itself that sent a surge of pure terror through her. A childhood accident, a near-drowning, had left her with a deep, paralyzing fear of water.

She flailed, choking, her lungs burning. "Help!" she gasped, but the water filled her mouth.

She saw a figure dive into the lake. Bryant. He had been nearby. For a second, a flicker of hope ignited.

But he swam right past her.

He reached Kalia, who was splashing and screaming dramatically, and pulled her into his arms, swimming with powerful strokes toward the shore.

He deposited a sputtering Kalia on the grass. She immediately began to cry. "She tried to drown me, Bryant! She pulled me in with her!"

"It's okay," he murmured, wiping water from Kalia's face. "I've got you."

He glanced over his shoulder at Charlotte, who was struggling to stay afloat, her strength failing.

"You brought this on yourself," he said, his voice cold and distant.

Then he turned his back on her, wrapping his jacket around Kalia's shoulders, and led her away.

Charlotte' s heart, which she thought could not break any further, shattered into a million pieces. He was leaving her to die.

Her last bit of strength gave out. She sank beneath the surface, the dark water closing over her head.

She woke up in a hospital bed. Again. It was becoming a depressingly familiar sight.

"You're very lucky," the doctor told her. "A jogger saw you go under and pulled you out. A few more seconds and it would have been too late."

The doctor looked at her chart. "We need to contact your next of kin. Your parents?"

"They're out of the country," Charlotte lied. She didn't want to worry them.

"Your boyfriend, then? Your fiancé?"

She hesitated, a bitter taste in her mouth. "He's... also out of the country."

Just then, the door swung open and Bryant walked in.

"Out of the country?" he asked, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Why are you lying, Charlotte?"

She met his gaze, her own eyes as cold as the lake water. "You'll find out soon enough that I never lie, Bryant."

He ignored her words. "My father called. The invitations for your birthday gala have been sent out. He wants me to remind you not to cause a scene. The Glover and Barnes names are on the line."

"A scene?" she repeated, her voice a dead-flat monotone. "What kind of scene could I possibly cause?" She gave him a humorless smile. "Are you afraid I'll get on stage and beg you to marry me?"

"Just behave," he warned, then turned and left.