Ophelia's POV,
We stare at each other. Each with emotions written over our faces.
Dante Vaughn looks irritated, like I've inconvenienced him by almost dying. His eyes rake over me, sharp and assessing, as if he's already cataloguing damage. While I'm angry enough to burn the pavement beneath my feet.
I move first.
I march straight up to him, heels biting into the ground. His security stiffens, but he lifts a hand, stopping them without looking.
"Fix it," I snap at him, stopping inches from his face. "Fix this mess."
His jaw tightens but he doesn't speak.
"Your lie," I continue, voice low but shaking with fury, "has followed me for two years. Tonight, it almost killed me."
I laugh once, sharp and humorless. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Being dragged into a warehouse because of something you said in a room I don't even remember? Me? Your wife? Not in the seven dimensions!"
He says nothing and I scoff. So, apparently, the all mighty Vaughn doesn't deem me worthy to even speak to.
"Why are you even here?" I demand. "It's not as if we know each other."
The man beside him clears his throat.
"I'm Sebastian," he says smoothly. "Mr. Vaughn's assistant."
I don't look at him.
"We received a video," Sebastian continues. "A ransom demand. They asked for payment for Dante Vaughn's wife."
That finally earns him my attention and I glare at the man. He shrinks behind Dante.
Dante's gaze flicks to me. Cold and measured.
"He came to see," Sebastian adds, quietly, "who was claiming to be his wife. And to end the ruse."
Something ugly twists in my chest.
"This is all bullshit," I say flatly. "And you're going to clear it up."
I don't wait for a response. I turn and walk away before Dante Vaughn can say a single word.
~ ~
Home smells like warmth and control. The noise in my head quite a down.
Lydia is already on her feet when I walk in. Eden hovers near the stairs, pale but fierce. And Adrian leans against the counter, amusement dancing in his eyes.
Eden speaks first. "I followed the tracker on your bracelet. I'm the one that sent Vesper."
I cross the room and pull her into a hug. "You did good."
Lydia slams her palm on the table. "They should all be killed."
Adrian laughs. "Still hot-headed," he says, shaking his head. "At least let the lawyers enjoy themselves first."
Dinner passes in fragments. Voices and reassurances. Lydia glaring like she's planning a massacre.
Later, alone in my room, I finally let the day catch up to me as I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Dante Vaughn's wife.
I snort softly. The absurdity of it all curls into laughter that fades just as quickly as it comes.
Sleep takes me before I can stop it.
And with it, the past.
~ ~
Two years ago.
I come home tired, already dreaming of a shower, and hear voices. Collins and I hardly had visitors. The living room is full of smiling faces and expectant murmurs.
Then I hear his voice.
Collins.
"I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
My heart stutters. I push forward and see him on one knee.
But it's not in front of me.
In front of my sister.
Liora gasps, hands to her mouth. He slides the ring onto her finger, his eyes soft in a way I've never seen them soften for me.
We were supposed to get married next week.
I cry out his name and drop to my knees before I even realize I'm doing it.
"Please," I beg. "Just tell me what I did wrong."
He looks at me like I'm an inconvenience.
"You're boring," he says. "And ugly. You'd ruin my reputation."
Liora laughs.
"God, you're stupid," she says. "Did you really not see this coming?"
Laughter ripples through the room and something inside me shatters.
I run out of the house. Into the night and into the wrong place.
The strip club is loud and suffocating, bodies packed together, heat and sweat and neon. I'm trying to find the exit when a door opens and I stumble inside.
A VIP room.
Music stops and heads turn. A massive security man moves toward me, hand already reaching out.
Then an arm wraps around my waist and pulls me down hard onto someone's lap. A man's voice murmurs against my ear, calm and dangerous.
"And why are you here, wife?"
And that's when my life split in two.