Chapter 3

The news about the Pinnacle Prize exploded online. Hazel Garrett, the unknown architect, became an overnight sensation. The narrative was perfect: a grieving widow, supported by her kind brother-in-law, a titan of industry, makes a triumphant comeback.

I woke up to my phone buzzing with notifications. Every headline was about Hazel. Every article featured a glowing quote from Kason about her "untapped potential."

I ignored it all and started packing. I moved with a single-minded purpose, pulling my clothes from the closet, folding them into suitcases. This was real. I was leaving.

Kason walked in, his hair still damp from a shower. He saw the open suitcases and frowned.

"What are you doing?"

"Cleaning out my closet," I said without looking at him.

He seemed to relax, a flicker of relief crossing his face. "Good. Listen, Hazel is making her first public appearance at the Skyview Tower launch today. I need you to go with her."

Skyview was my project. I had designed it from the ground up.

"You want me to what?"

"She's nervous," he said, his tone shifting from relief to command. "As a senior architect, you should support a newcomer."

I laughed, a sharp, humorless sound. "Support her? You want me to stand there and smile while she takes credit for my work?"

His face hardened. "Don't be petty, Clara. She's my sister-in-law. It's your duty to help."

"Just like it was your duty to kiss your sister-in-law on our sofa last night?"

His face went dark. "We were drunk. It was a mistake."

"Was giving her my award a mistake, too?"

"You need to learn to be more like Hazel," he snapped. "She's sweet and understanding. She doesn't make things difficult."

Just then, Hazel appeared in the doorway, looking angelic in a white dress. "Clara, are you ready? Kason said you'd come with me today!"

She looked at me, her eyes glinting with triumph. She knew exactly what she was doing.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

The site visit was a nightmare. Hazel clung to my arm, pretending we were the best of friends for the cameras.

"Clara has been such a mentor to me," she gushed to a reporter. "I've learned so much from her."

I just smiled, a tight, painful stretch of my lips.

The main event was a walk across a temporary steel bridge connecting two sections of the tower, hundreds of feet in the air. We were all clipped into safety harnesses.

"I'll go first!" Hazel said brightly, stepping onto the bridge ahead of me.

She was a disaster. She swayed and stumbled, her feigned fear making the bridge tremble. Several times, her flailing arm nearly sent me off balance.

"Hazel, be careful," I warned, my voice tight.

She looked back, a smirk on her face. "Don't worry, I'm fine!"

Then, she "tripped." Her body lurched, and as she fell, her hand shot out and grabbed my safety line. The sudden, violent tug broke the clip on my harness.

Time slowed down. I felt myself falling, the wind rushing past my ears. I hit the safety net below with a sickening thud. The impact sent a shockwave of pain through my entire body.

Through a blur of pain, I saw Kason run onto the bridge.

He ran right past me.

He rushed to Hazel, who was now "unconscious" on the bridge. He gathered her into his arms, his face a mask of fury.

"What the hell happened?" he roared at the site manager. "Is this how you ensure safety?"

The crew rushed forward, apologizing profusely.

Hazel stirred in his arms, whimpering. "I'm so scared, Kason."

I lay on the net, unable to move, every breath an agony. No one was looking at me. He didn't even glance in my direction.

Finally, a medic reached me. "Ma'am, can you hear me? We're calling an ambulance. Don't move."

Kason's gaze flickered to me for a brief second, his expression cold and annoyed, as if my injury was an inconvenience.

My assistant, Lily, rushed to my side, tears streaming down her face. "Clara! Are you okay?" She turned to Hazel. "You did this on purpose!"

Hazel buried her face in Kason's chest. "I didn't... She pushed me..."

Kason shot a glare at Lily that could freeze fire.

"Watch your mouth," he snarled. "Clara should have been more careful. Now look at the trouble she's caused."

Pain lanced through my ribs, but it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. He was blaming me.

I looked up at the steel skeleton of the tower against the sky, my tower, and a single tear escaped and traced a path through the grime on my cheek.