Chapter 4

"Think about August," Hudson's voice came through the thick wooden door, muffled and distant. "When you're ready to apologize to Hailey, I'll let you out."

He was using my son against me. He knew it was the one thing that could break me.

I spent two days in that suffocating darkness, the walls closing in, my breath catching in my throat. On the third day, the door finally opened. Hudson stood there, silhouetted against the light from the hallway.

He looked almost regretful. "I was too harsh," he said, not quite meeting my eyes. "I'm sorry, Aspen. I have to ask you for a favor. A work thing."

He mentioned a name, a rival architectural firm that had been trying to poach a major project from him. "They need a last-minute consultation on the structural integrity of the new tower. The lead architect is a man named Jett Knight. I need you to go."

Jett Knight. My mentor from college. The man Hudson thought was my rival, but who was actually my oldest friend. Hudson didn't know the truth. He didn't know that my architectural achievements under a pseudonym were far greater than what he knew. He thought I was just a talented, but minor, architect. He was inviting me to consult on a project that my own secret firm was overseeing. He was asking me to go under my real name, Aspen Woodward, as a favor to him, not knowing he was sending me straight to my most powerful ally.

"Fine," I said, my voice a dry rasp.

He looked relieved, pulling me into a hug that made my skin crawl. "Thank you, Aspen. I knew I could count on you."

He wanted to use my talent, the one part of me he still found valuable. I went because it was my one chance to see Jett, to set my escape in motion. I went to repay a debt. Years ago, Hudson's company had funded a scholarship that allowed me to finish my degree. I had always felt a sense of obligation. After this, we would be even.

The meeting was a blur. I put on my professional face, my hands steady as I reviewed the blueprints. Hudson watched me, a proud, possessive look on his face. He didn't know I was looking at my own work.

"You' re as brilliant as they say," Jett said, playing along perfectly. He used my pseudonym, of course.

Hudson beamed. "She learned from the best," he said, implying himself.

After the successful consultation, Hudson was ecstatic. "To celebrate," he announced, "I'm taking you to the annual Founder's Day fireworks show."

"I don't want to go," I said.

"Don't be difficult," he said, his tone hardening as he forced me into the car. "We need to be seen as a couple. It' s important."

He drove us to a lavish party on a waterfront estate. The fireworks were spectacular, bursting in showers of gold and crimson against the night sky. For a moment, watching the display, I felt a flicker of the old magic.

"Make a wish," Hudson whispered, his arm around my shoulders.

I closed my eyes and wished for freedom. I wished for a life for my son, far away from this poison.

Just then, a woman with a familiar, teasing lilt in her voice grabbed Hudson's arm. It was Hailey.

"There you are," she purred, pulling him away from me and into the shadows of a nearby gazebo. "I was getting lonely."

I saw him hesitate for only a second before he followed her. I heard her giggle, then a soft moan.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang, different from the fireworks. A scream. People started running, their faces panicked. A fire had broken out in the catering tent, spreading with terrifying speed.

I looked for Hudson, my heart pounding with an old, stupid instinct to make sure he was safe.

And then I saw him. He was emerging from the gazebo, his arms full of Hailey, carrying her away from the danger. He ran right past me, his eyes fixed on her, his face a mask of single-minded determination.

He didn't even see me. It was as if I didn't exist.

The fleeing crowd was a frantic, stampeding herd. Someone shoved me from behind, and I fell, my head hitting the stone patio with a sickening crack. The world spun, and the last thing I saw before the darkness took me was Hudson's back, getting smaller and smaller as he carried his true love to safety, leaving me to burn.