Chapter 2

I climbed the stairs to our apartment with my hand pressed to my bare head, praying none of the neighbors would see me. The hallway light was broken again, which for once felt like a blessing. I pushed open the door and stepped inside, already rehearsing the lie about where my wig went.

But Nico was not waiting for me.

He was on the phone in the bedroom, and his voice carried through the thin walls like he did not care who heard him.

"She will do whatever I tell her, Tony. The girl is stupid. She thinks I actually love her." He laughed, and the sound made my stomach flip. "I will get it done next week. She is too obsessed with me to say no to anything."

I stood frozen in the hallway with my jacket still on, barely breathing.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I told you, she is easy to control. Like a trained dog. I just throw her a bone every now and then and she wags her little tail."

My nails dug into my palms so hard I felt the skin break. Trained dog. Wags her tail. Every word landed like a slap.

But then he laughed again, said something I could not catch, and hung up. I heard him walking toward the bedroom door, so I moved fast, pretending I had just come in.

He appeared in the doorway, and his face shifted into that easy, warm smile that used to make me feel safe. Now it just made me feel sick.

"There you are, baby." He walked over and cupped my face with both hands, tilting my head up. His eyes ran over my bare scalp but he did not ask about the wig. "I heard you could not get the necklace from that woman's apartment."

I swallowed hard. "I am sorry. She came home early and I had to leave before I could find it."

He kissed my forehead gently, and I hated how my body still relaxed at his touch. "Forget about it. We do not need to steal anymore."

I blinked. "What?"

"Something good happened with my business." He pulled me into his chest and rested his chin on top of my head. "Things are going to change for us, Sera. I promise."

I wanted to believe him so badly that I swallowed every question and just let him hold me. Maybe the phone call was not what I thought. Maybe I misheard. Maybe he was talking about someone else.

Maybe I was the fool he said I was.

Three days passed, and Nico was different. Lighter. He brought home takeout and did not yell when I burned the toast. For the first time in months, I did not wake up afraid.

Then he asked.

We were eating dinner at the small table by the window when he put his fork down and looked at me with that careful expression he always wore when he wanted something.

"My new boss is a big deal, Sera. He handles accounts worth millions. He invited me to dinner this weekend, and he wants to meet you."

"Me? Why?"

"Because I told him about you." He smiled. "He just wants to have a drink. You, me, and him. That is all. Just make a good impression."

Something about the way he said it made my skin crawl. "What kind of impression?"

"Do not start." His smile vanished. "I am asking you to have one dinner. One. Can you do that without making it into some big drama?"

"Nico, what are you really asking me to do?"

He slammed his palm on the table so hard the plates jumped. "I am asking you to sit at a table and smile. That is it. Or is that too much for someone like you?"

"Someone like me?"

His eyes went cold. That dead cold that came right before he hit me. "You act like you are some pure little princess. You were never pure, Sera. Not since the day I met you. So do not sit there and pretend that having dinner with a man is beneath you."

My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. He watched me struggling and then softened, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.

"Look. I am not going to force you. Okay? I would never force you." He reached across the table and took my hand. "I just need you to trust me. After four years, can you do that?"

I should have said no. I should have walked out right then.

"Okay," I whispered.

That weekend, he took me to a restaurant I had never heard of, somewhere in Midtown with white tablecloths and waiters who looked like they judged you for breathing. He bought me a new dress beforehand, a black silk thing that clung to every curve I had. It was the nicest thing I had ever worn, and it felt wrong on my body, like a costume.

"You look incredible." Nico adjusted my wig in the car and smoothed the edges. "My boss actually asked about you after I showed him your photo."

My stomach dropped. "You showed him my photo?"

"Relax. It was just a picture. He said you were beautiful, that is all."

That is all. Those three words echoed in my skull the entire drive.

Dinner was fine. Normal. His boss never showed up. We ate pasta and drank wine and Nico laughed at things I said like I was the funniest person alive. I almost let myself enjoy it.

Then his phone buzzed, and everything changed.

He read the message, and his jaw tightened. "Change of plans. We are going to a hotel."

"What? Why?"

"I booked us a room, baby. A nice one. Thought we could have a real night together." He squeezed my thigh under the table. "Come on. It will be fun."

The hotel was too expensive. Too clean. Too much. He walked me to the room, handed me a glass of water from the minibar, and kissed my cheek.

"I am going to go check in at the front desk. You just relax, okay? I will be right back."

I drank the water because I was thirsty and because I did not think. I did not think about why his hands were shaking when he poured it. I did not think about why he would not look me in the eyes.

Five minutes later, the room started spinning. My legs gave out, and I grabbed the edge of the bed, but my fingers would not hold on. The glass slipped from my hand and hit the carpet.

The last thing I heard before everything went black was the door

opening and two sets of footsteps walking in.