Chapter 5

I thought I misheard him.

"What did you say?"

He put the bowl aside and avoided my gaze. "I know it wasn't you. It's not in your nature to do something like that," he said quietly.

"You knew?" My voice trembled. "If you knew I was innocent, why did you force me to take the blame? Why did you lock me in that freezer?"

Bastian stood up, tugging at his tie in frustration. "Moriah just became the Don's wife. She's insecure," he tried to justify. "She faked the rumors to test me. To see who I would side with."

"If I exposed her in front of everyone, she would've broken down."

"Davina, to calm her down, I had to play along."

He stepped closer to the bed, looking down at me with a hint of pity. "You suffered for it."

You suffered for it.

Four empty words to brush off everything I had been put through. I stared at the man in front of me. The man I had bled for. Just to keep another woman from "breaking down," he tossed me into a sub-zero freezer, letting me freeze and agonize until I nearly died.

"Heh..."

I suddenly laughed. Not out of anger, but sheer, bleak irony. I was laughing at my own stupidity and at how absurd fate was. I laughed until my shoulders shook and physical tears escaped the corners of my eyes.

Bastian seemed stung by my laughter. He grabbed my shoulders, frowning hard. "What's so funny? I already cleared your name. I'll compensate you! I already dealt with the guards who starved you."

"Davina, you've been with me a long time. I know you've had it hard." His voice softened, his eyes carrying a fake depth. "I promise. Next time. Next time, I'll make it up to you properly."

I stopped laughing. Slowly, finger by finger, I pried his hands off my shoulders.

"There won't be a next time, Bastian." I closed my eyes in exhaustion. "I'm tired. Please leave."

He stood there frozen for a long time before finally walking out with a cold expression.

For the next two days, Bastian delivered his "compensation."

Endless streams of custom jewelry and limited-edition Birkin bags were sent to my room. His assistant even dropped off brochures for a private island in Tahiti, saying Bastian would take me on vacation once Moriah's mood stabilized.

I tossed them straight in the trash without looking. I didn't plan on going anywhere. Though an island wouldn't be bad—I could always stage an accidental fall off a cliff.

Today was the fifth day. The day the pill would take effect.

I wore a light black trench coat and tucked Wynn's old pocket watch close to my chest. I opened the door, waiting for Bastian to pick me up.

But the moment I stepped out of the elevator, a sharp pain struck the back of my neck.

Everything went black.

Freezing ocean winds, heavy with the scent of salt, battered my face. I woke up with a gasp. The blinding sun made me squint. I realized I was bound tight with thick hemp ropes, dangling mid-air.

It was an abandoned deep-water dock. I was hanging from a massive industrial crane.

Fifty feet to my left, another woman was hanging from a second crane.

Moriah.

She was screaming frantically, thrashing and sobbing. "Help! Bastian! Save me!"

I looked down. Dozens of heavily armed mafia soldiers stood on the concrete. The man leading them wore a burgundy suit, a nasty scar running down his face.

Arthur.

I recognized him. He was Bastian's biggest rival, a psychotic boss from an enemy family.

Tires screeched as three black bulletproof SUVs tore into the docks. Bastian jumped out of the lead car. He was pale as a ghost, his eyes deadly.

"Arthur! Let them go! Our beef doesn't involve women!" Bastian drew his gun and roared.

"Doesn't involve women? When you slaughtered my brother, did you care that he had a wife and kids?!" Arthur laughed like a maniac.

He held up a remote control. "Today, you're going to learn what it feels like to lose the love of your life!"

Arthur pointed up at us.

"On the left, your brand-new wife. The apple of your eye. On the right, the woman who's been by your side for three years, taking your bullets."

"This remote will only lock one crane's winch. The other one gets dropped."

Arthur's smile turned sickeningly gleeful. "Choose, Bastian. Your beloved wife, or your loyal woman? You can only save one."

The wind howled.

Bastian stood frozen, his hand shaking violently.

"Bastian! Save me! I don't want to die! Please!" Moriah's shrieks echoed across the water.

I just watched him silently.

My heartbeat began to slow down abnormally. My limbs were growing cold, my breathing faint. The drug was finally kicking in.

I suddenly remembered the promise he made by my bed two days ago.

"I promise. Next time, I'll make it up to you properly."

I watched him. He shut his eyes tightly in agony, the muscles in his jaw ticking.

Finally, his eyes snapped open. He raised his hand, pointing at Moriah in the sky, his voice raw.

"I choose Moriah."