### Chapter 7

The room blew up.

"Isn't that Lily White? Randolph Farley's mistress, the stripper. What's a piece of meat like her doing at an event like this?"

"And where's Melanie? She's the real Mrs. Farley, isn't she?"

"This is insane. It's being livestreamed! Farley's reputation is finished!"

That crown had cost me ten years of my life to earn. I had searched the whole house and never found it, and all this time Randolph had taken it and given it to Lily.

I almost charged forward to rip it straight off her head.

Then Randolph cleared his throat and spoke.

"Thank you all for coming to witness a century of Farley glory. Let me take this chance to clear something up. Miss Lily White has traveled all over the country promoting Farley's new line. It's been hard work, and the doubled sales are entirely thanks to her."

"She's done great things for Farley, and she's also a good friend of my wife's. I hope everyone will stop spreading rumors."

The room went silent in an instant, and then every eye turned to me. Suspicious, startled, amused.

It was so absurd I almost laughed.

All those nights my team and I had burned through, and one sentence from him turned it into her achievement.

I lifted my head. Randolph's gaze was like a poisoned thorned vine, twisting around my heart until it bled.

I gave a bitter smile and walked up onto the stage. I shook Lily's hand and forced a smile for the photo.

"Lately Lily has been with my husband for work. I can confirm she's an honored guest of mine, not some mistress wrecking our marriage."

Lily's eyes reddened, and she wiped at tears that weren't there.

"As long as Melanie's willing to clear it up for me, I don't mind being wronged a little."

But her fingers dug into the back of my hand, her nails carving several bloody lines into the skin.

I winced and yanked my hand back, then strode off the stage and walked alone to a quiet corner.

It's fine. Get through tonight, and I'll be free.

The sound of high heels came from behind me.

I turned and saw the pitiful look gone from Lily's face.

In its place was undisguised smugness, the crown glittering in her hair, the perfect picture of a fairy-tale wicked queen.

"You're his legal wife," she said, arms folded across her chest, brimming with triumph. "So what?"

"I'm already pregnant. Randolph promised me himself, my baby will be the next heir of the Farley family."

"If I were you, I'd get out on my own and keep a little dignity."

She was really pregnant?

The world spun, and I nearly lost my footing, but then I straightened my back and looked her dead in the eye.

"And what exactly are you? A whore who slept her way up by taking off her clothes, and you think you're fit to strut around in front of me?"

Lily's expression froze, as if it had never occurred to her that I could say something vicious too. Her mouth opened and closed, and for a long moment she couldn't force out a single word.

I swung my glass hard, and the red wine splashed all over her face. The red liquid ran down her chin in an ugly stream, staining a gown worth millions.

"A mistress who can't see the light should crawl back to the dark hole she came from. Don't come grovel in front of me!"

She shrieked and stumbled backward, and the next second the tears spilled over.

"Bang! "

A force slammed into me, and my back crashed against a pillar, the pain blacking out my vision.

Randolph had her wrapped in his arms, looking down at the wine and tears all over her face, aching for her.

"Melanie, what did you do to Lily?!"

Lily huddled against his chest, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"I only came to thank Melanie, and she called me a whore and threw wine on me."

I watched her shoulders shake as she cried in Randolph's arms, watched him glare at me with a rage that burned like he was looking at an enemy, and I knew nothing I said would make him believe me.

I clenched my teeth and turned to leave.

Then, all at once.

"Fire!"

I spun toward the voice, stunned. The velvet curtains were burning, the flames licking up the carpet, and in the blink of an eye the place became a sea of fire.

The crowd began screaming and surging toward the exits, everything dissolving into chaos.

I ran with everything I had toward the escape route, only for Lily to shove me hard, and I went sprawling to the floor.

A violent pain shot through my belly, and on instinct I cried out to Randolph.

"Honey, help me—"

Randolph froze for a beat, then immediately reached his hand out toward me.

Before his fingertips could touch me, Lily threw herself crying into his arms. "My stomach hurts so much. Randolph, don't let our baby burn to death!"

Randolph's hand stopped in midair.

Then he drew it back and wrapped it around Lily's waist instead.

My eyes went wide, and my heart felt like it was being crushed in someone's fist.

### Chapter 8

"Randolph, don't leave me here!"

I caught his trouser leg with everything I had left.

"The firefighters will be here soon." He barely glanced down, then wrenched his leg free and strode off, his arm around Lily.

Smoke poured into my throat. I forced my head up and looked toward the high Farley throne at the center of the hall.

As my mind blurred, I half saw the girl I used to be, hand in Randolph's, standing before that throne with her eyes shut, making a wish.

I wished that one day I'd sit up there beside him, that we'd be together, forever and ever.

And then, faint and far off, I saw myself from years ago, throwing myself bravely in front of that boy. He'd wept in a pool of his own blood and sworn to me that he'd spend the rest of his life protecting me with his own.

I'd believed that even if his heart had changed, at the edge of life and death he would keep that promise.

But the promise was light as a flake of ash. He chose his mistress. Not me.

The eaves began to collapse. The fire swallowed everything in front of me, and the scorching waves of heat licked at my skin until it burned.

I curled into myself, both hands over my belly, and shut my eyes.

Baby, I'm sorry. All the beautiful things in this world, Mama will see them with you in the next life.

But when I opened my eyes again, there was a hospital ceiling above me, snow-white.

The nurse saw I was awake and broke into a wide smile. "You're lucky a few kind souls pulled you out. Just some minor burns, thank goodness."

I grabbed her sleeve. "My baby—"

"Don't worry. The baby's perfectly fine."

The tension snapped all at once. I sank back and pressed my hands over my eyes.

Laughter and chatter drifted in from the next room. I wrapped my arms tight around my belly, holding it like the most precious treasure in the world, and the tears broke loose.

My baby. The only family I have.

I didn't dare imagine what I would have done if I'd lost her.

Kieran heard about that night and rushed to the hospital. The sight of me, so worn down, broke his heart.

"You've suffered, Mel." His aged hand closed tight around mine, his eyes full of reluctance to let me go. "Tomorrow night I'll see you out of here. Before then, will you have one last dinner with me? I'm an old man. After this goodbye, who knows if we'll ever meet again."

I agreed.

Randolph had betrayed me, but the old man had always been good to me.

The next evening, my car headed for the old Farley mansion. As we reached a deserted stretch of road, a black SUV suddenly swung in close, and after a shriek of tires it cut across in front of us.

The next moment, the car door was yanked open.

Before I could react, hands hauled me roughly out and shoved me into the SUV.

The door slammed. Fear surged in like a tide. The first thing I did was reach for the phone in my bag and dial Randolph's number, over and over.

I called ninety-nine times. He never picked up.

Beside me, the man in the Transformers mask let out a sneer.

"What's the matter? Can't get through to that unfaithful husband of yours? He's with my sister right now, at her prenatal checkup."

An invisible hand closed around my breath.

"You're Lily's family? Why are you doing this?"

"Get rid of you, and my sister gets to be Mrs. Farley."

The mocking tone turned suddenly cruel. He was like a starving wolf, green light in his eyes, the kind of stare that belongs to a man who licks blood off a blade.

My heart dropped hard, and cold sweat soaked through me.

"Don't kill me, I'll pay you! Whatever Lily's giving you, I'll give you double. No, ten times that!"

Randolph wasn't coming to save me. I only had myself.

The air in the cabin froze for an instant. Then he raised an eyebrow, spun the dagger once in his palm, the cold light flashing.

"Can money compare to family?"

"Five million!" It burst out of me. I forced the fear down and shouted, "No, two million more—do one thing for me, and I'll transfer it right now!"

His pupils shrank.

Seven million. Enough for him to squander for the rest of his life. Whatever scraps Lily threw him for doing her dirty work, what was that worth?

The few seconds of waiting felt like half a lifetime.

"Deal." He spoke again, eyes narrowing. "Tell me. What do you want me to do?"

The shaking ran through my whole body, harder now, not from fear but from the wave of exhaustion that crashed over me once I knew I'd won.

I slid my wedding ring off and handed it to him.

"Find a body about my size. Stage 'my' death."

He took the ring. "A pleasure doing business, Ms. Hughes."

I pulled out my phone and tapped at it like a woman possessed. In the dark of the car came the chime of a transfer landing.

Then I was pushed out of the car. The night thickened, the road ahead like a black beast crouched to devour the universe.

But I didn't dare stop. One hand cradling my belly, I ran with everything I had and never looked back, until at last I flagged down a taxi.

"The airport."

I called the old man. He hurried to soothe me, telling me not to worry, that the private jet and the bodyguards were already arranged.

The city's neon streaked away behind me, the terminal lights swelling larger and larger in my sight. The breath went all the way out of me at last. I laid my palm over my belly and spoke softly.

"Baby, we're about to go and live a new life. Even without a father, you'll be the happiest little princess there is."

And Randolph—what you owe me won't end here.