Chapter 5

Nina woke the next morning to her phone vibrating incessantly. Half-asleep, she reached for it, only to find a news alert splashed across the screen.

"Shaw Heiress Accused of Bullying Ordinary Woman: Exclusive Photos Reveal Shocking Incident"

The first photograph showed Nina standing on a set of steps as Willa fell backward. Whoever had taken it had captured the precise moment that made it look as though Nina had pushed her.

In the second, Willa was kneeling at Nina's feet, looking up at her tearfully while Nina stared down at her with a cold expression.

The accompanying article was even worse.

"The Shaw heiress drove her husband's childhood sweetheart out of their home, forced her to kneel, and has now resorted to physical violence. All because she couldn't stand another woman being close to her husband. Is this what being rich and powerful allows you to get away with?"

The comment section had already erupted in outrage. Nina scrolled through the accusations, her fingers growing cold around her phone, until another call interrupted her.

It was her father, Richard Shaw.

"Take care of this," he ordered. "I don't care what you have to do. Make it go away."

Nina got dressed and drove straight to the hospital, where she found Ian standing beside Willa's bed. Willa was propped up against the pillows, looking pale, with one hand wrapped in gauze. The moment she noticed Nina, she shrank back against the headboard.

Ian immediately turned to confront her. "You've got some nerve showing up here."

Ignoring him, Nina approached Willa's bedside.

"What do you want?"

Willa blinked in surprise.

Nina held her gaze, her voice perfectly calm. "You're the one who leaked those photos. So tell me, what do you want?"

"That's enough, Nina." Ian stepped between them, shielding Willa from her.

Willa glanced up at Nina before lowering her eyes. After several seconds, she spoke so quietly that Nina almost missed it.

"If Nina would agree to perform the water-tank escape with Ian, that would be enough."

Ian frowned and looked down at her, but Willa caught his sleeve before he could object.

"Think about it, Ian. This would actually be the best thing for Nina, wouldn't it? Her company's stock has already taken a hit. One performance together could turn public opinion around."

Ian pulled his arm free, his frown deepening. "Not the water tank. We'll find something simpler. That trick's dangerous."

Nina watched their exchange with cold amusement, a faint, humorless smile touching her lips.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Three days later, just before the performance, a visibly uncomfortable crew member, Ethan Brooks, approached Nina.

"Ms. Shaw, there's been a last-minute change to the act. We need you to get ready."

Nina looked up, absently rubbing her thumb over the miniature glass-breaking hammer concealed inside her sleeve.

"What kind of change?"

Ethan led her toward the stage, where the water tank was already waiting.

Ian arrived just as they approached, his brow furrowing at the sight.

"Why are we still using the tank? I told you to change the act."

Ethan shifted nervously. "Ms. Sutton said this one would have the best visual impact. It's what the audience wants to see."

Ian's expression eased slightly. In the end, he didn't argue further. Instead, he walked over to the tank and addressed Nina.

"Once you're inside, hold your breath. I'll count to thirty and unlock it. Three minutes at most. You'll be fine."

Nina gave no response. She simply climbed into the tank, allowing the icy water to rise around her. As the cold seeped into her skin, she looked through the glass at Ian, her expression unreadable.

The countdown began, and Nina held her breath.

But when Ian tried to release the lock, it wouldn't budge.

His expression darkened as he twisted the handle again and again, applying more force each time. The lock remained firmly jammed, and within moments, crew members had crowded around the tank in a panic.

"Mr. Xavier!" someone shouted. "Somebody's tampered with the lock! We can't get it open!"

The color drained from Ian's face.

Before anyone could figure out what to do, a deafening commotion erupted backstage.

"Fire! There's a fire in the prop storage room!"

Flames roared up, their glow spreading across the theater and illuminating Ian's panic-stricken face. His gaze darted between the locked tank and the chaos backstage.

Inside the water, Nina tightened her grip on the tiny hammer she'd hidden in her sleeve, watching him with detached calm.

She'd anticipated that Willa might sabotage the act. That was precisely why she'd come prepared. What Nina hadn't known was how Ian would react when things went wrong.

She'd loved this man so fiercely once, and now she wanted to see, once and for all, whom he would choose.

"Ian!"

Willa's desperate cry cut through the noise, sharp and frantic, coming from somewhere amid the flames.

Ian glanced at the tank. His jaw tightened, and after a moment's hesitation, he took a step back.

Then he turned and ran toward the fire.

Nina watched him disappear, leaving her trapped underwater.

She raised the glass-breaking hammer, but before she could press it against the tank, her consciousness began to fade. Her fingers weakened, the hammer slipping in her grasp as everything around her grew indistinct.

Through the haze, she heard a tremendous crash.

It was Ethan. His face was blackened with soot, and he had rushed to the tank with a fire extinguisher. He brought it down against the glass with all his strength, shattering it.

Nina tumbled onto the floor with the rushing water, coughing and choking as she struggled to breathe. Somewhere above her, the young man was shouting frantically.

"Ms. Shaw! Stay with me! Please, stay with me!"

When Nina managed to open her eyes, she saw blood streaming down her arm. When she was rescued from the tank, her arm had been cut open on the broken tank. The pain was so intense that her entire body trembled.

Still, she struggled to her feet and made her way outside.

A crowd had gathered around the theater. Ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars filled the area, emergency personnel moving among the vehicles.

Near one of the ambulances, Ian stood holding Willa against his chest.

As though sensing someone watching him, he lifted his head.

His face was smeared with soot, and his hands appeared to be injured, but when he spotted Nina, his eyes widened in shock.

For a moment, he looked as though he'd only just remembered that he'd left someone trapped inside the water tank.

He took a step toward her.

Nina stepped back.

Glancing down at her injured arm, she watched blood and water mingle and drip from her fingertips. The cut was still throbbing with pain.

Without another word, she turned away from Ian and climbed into a different ambulance.