I stared at him.

My chest felt like a red-hot coal had been dragged across it.

Twenty-eight years.

We escaped the orphanage together, slept under bridges, split a single cup of instant noodles. In the worst days, all we had to fill our stomachs was water.

We couldn't afford birth control. Couldn't afford a clinic.

I threw myself into the freezing cold, climbed staircases and hurled myself down them,

endured the pain, cried until I had nothing left, and let two babies go.

Noel knelt at my bedside and stabbed himself twice with a knife.

His bloodied hand, trembling, covered my eyes. Each word landed right against my ear.

"Brooklyn, I swear I'll give you a good life. If I ever betray you, let God strike me dead."

That promise carried weight.

I believed it for half my life. Built my whole life around it.

The damage to my body, the pressure on my mind, the grinding monotony of scraping by. None of it left room for me to be soft-tempered.

Up until thirty minutes ago, when Noel held me in front of our friends and solemnly vowed to love me forever, I still thought every sacrifice had been worth it.

His phone rang. The ringtone was distinctive.

I'd heard it many times in the middle of the night. Noel always said it was a client.

I trusted him too completely to ever question it.

Now I knew how stupid I'd been.

He didn't answer right away. His voice was calm, the kind of calm you'd use to soothe a child throwing a tantrum.

"Why make yourself miserable over a plaything? We have twenty-eight years between us. You really want to throw that away over an outsider?"

"You're not young anymore, Brooklyn. No parents, no job. I'm the only one who'll take care of you. Keep pushing, and even that won't last."

He handed his luggage to his assistant. "I'll have my assistant take you somewhere nice, clear your head. I'm going to see Florence. Think about what I said."

The moment Noel turned away, he picked up the call. "Baby, your husband's on his way..."

That word. Husband. It hit me like a slap across the face.

I ran to the bathroom and threw up until tears streaked down my cheeks.

I pulled the pregnancy test from my pocket, the paper still warm. Then I took out my phone and made a call.

Noel was right about one thing.

I shouldn't keep putting myself through this.

I didn't have the strength for a honeymoon. I sent the assistant away and walked back to the bridal suite alone.

I punched in the code. Opened the door.

A man's low, breathless moan drifted out.

"Did your parents have a crystal ball when they named you Florence? So fitting. So soft."

"Since I've been with you, I've barely touched her. Told her I had a low drive. The only time was when I needed to trick her into getting the marriage certificate so I could transfer the property to your name."

"Her? Pitiful? I already gave her the title of Mrs. Stephens. The one I owe now is you."

"You're too sweet. Your husband would give you his life if you asked."

One filthy, careless line after another, each one laced with contempt, poured into my ears.

I stood frozen in the doorway, every nerve in my body short-circuiting.

Six months ago, Noel had handed me a medical report diagnosing him with low libido. His face was full of guilt.

"Honey, our intimate life might not be possible anymore. Please don't leave me, okay?"

I felt sorry for him. I tried everything I could think of to make it work. None of it made a difference.

Then two months ago, he came home drunk one night and it happened. I thought my efforts had finally paid off. Turns out it was just a necessary transaction, the price of putting a property in his mistress's name.

That was when the baby was conceived.

The early spring sun should have been the warmest of the year. Instead, I felt like I was standing in a blizzard.

An hour later, Noel walked out of the bedroom with his arm around a striking woman.

The moment Florence saw me sitting in the living room, she flinched as if the sky had fallen. Her eyes turned red in an instant.

"Oh, Brooklyn, this is all my fault. This is your and Noel's bridal suite. I never should have come here. But I just love this villa so much, and I thought you'd be away on your trip and would never find out. I didn't expect..."

Florence's lips trembled, and she burst into loud, heaving sobs.

"Please don't blame Noel, and please don't send me away. I really do love him. I'm not here to tear you apart. I'm here to be part of your lives."

She dropped to her knees in front of me again, slamming her forehead against the floor over and over.

Noel's expression shifted instantly. He rushed forward, pulling her into his arms, cradling her, his voice turning impossibly soft.

"Didn't I tell you never to hurt yourself, no matter what? Why don't you ever listen? It kills me to see this."

"Forget it. You're too kind and innocent for your own good. I'll just have to protect you more."

Then he looked at me. Something complicated flickered behind his eyes before settling into cold impatience.

"Brooklyn, you scared her. I should've known you wouldn't just leave quietly. You've had your little scene. Happy now?"

The accusation hit me without warning, and my mind went blank.

I hadn't said a single word since I walked through the door.

This villa was our marital home.

I was his wife. His legal, certificate-holding wife.

Yet for the sake of his kept woman, I wasn't even allowed to lay eyes on the person who'd destroyed everything.

When he saw the bitter smile pulling at my lips, something shifted in his gaze. He let go of Florence, walked toward me, and softened his voice.

"Enough. You're both important to me. You're both mine. From now on, the three of us will live here together."

"There's a gala this afternoon. Come with me."

I was about to refuse, but Noel cut me off before I could speak.

"Florence is coming too. It's her first time at one of these events. You'll carry her train and help her make a good impression."

I froze. The absurdity of it almost made me laugh.

Then I thought about how little time I had left, and I didn't argue.

Before the gala, Florence claimed she had nothing suitable to wear. She went through my closet and took the one-of-a-kind gown and matching accessories I'd worn when I debuted as Mrs. Stephens at Noel's company IPO.

She walked in on Noel's arm, wearing my dress, while I trailed behind holding her train. Every eye in the room was on them.

The whispers followed me like shadows.

"You have to hand it to Stephens. Got his wife trained so well she carries his mistress's train without a peep."

"They call her Mrs. Stephens, but let's be honest, she's a glorified servant. Lower than a dog."

"That Brooklyn must be an idiot. Gave him over twenty years of her life and got nothing for it. Might as well be dead."

I fled the ballroom, desperate for the restroom, for anywhere I could breathe.

A slap cracked across my face before I even saw it coming.

I pressed my hand to my burning cheek and stared at the woman in front of me.

Florence rolled her wrist, and the gentle mask she wore peeled away like dead skin.

"Noel and I did all that right in front of you, and you're still clinging to him like a leech. Have you no shame?"

"A piece of trash nobody wanted, no mother to raise you. Divorce Noel now, or one of these days you'll lose a hand or a foot, and wouldn't that be a pity..."

A ringing filled my skull. All I could see was the woman's vicious face, her mouth opening and closing, opening and closing.

Rage boiled over into a sharp, incredulous laugh. But Florence didn't give me a chance to fight back. She let out a piercing shriek, ripped open the front of her gown, and threw herself backward.

"Brooklyn!"

Noel came charging from the center of the ballroom and caught Florence, pulling her into his arms.

She sobbed so hard she could barely stand, tears materializing on command.

"Noel, I know what I am. I'm the other woman. I ruined your marriage to Ms. Simmons. I know I was wrong. I never should have come into your life. I'm the villain here. I'm the disgusting one."

Then she did what she always did. She slapped herself across the face, hard, twice.

Noel grabbed her wrists. His jaw was locked tight.

"Who said those things to you?"

Florence bit her lip, fingers twisting the fabric of her dress until her knuckles went white. "Please. Don't ask."

But when her gaze swept over me, her body trembled slightly.

"Someone like me could never afford to cross wealthy, powerful ladies like you. Noel, I was too naive. I thought love could conquer anything. I'm not worthy of you. Please, just let me go. I don't want to end up dead for no reason one day."

Noel's brows knotted tight, his eyes fixed on me with open hostility.

"Explain."

I lowered my hand, revealing my swollen, reddened cheek.

"You should ask her what she said to me."

"Ms. Simmons!" Florence shrieked, her voice shrill enough to cut glass. "Fine, I slapped you! But only because you threatened my parents' lives! They're ordinary people! If hitting me back will make you feel better, go ahead. I'm begging you, just don't hurt them."

My eyes burned red with fury. "You're lying. You were the one who—"

"Enough." Noel's voice cut through like a blade, cold and final. He looked at me with undisguised disappointment. "Brooklyn, I've spoiled you rotten."

"You think just because you have no parents, I won't touch you?"

Maybe I'd seen it coming. Maybe my heart had gone cold a long time ago.

I laughed, a hollow, useless sound. My eye sockets burned so badly they ached. "So how exactly do you plan to stand up for your precious darling?"

He walked toward me, slow and deliberate, and tore the protective charm necklace from my throat. The one he'd made with his own hands when he earned his first real money.

Then he turned to his assistant.

"Call the police. My wife committed theft. Caught red-handed."

I forgot how to move. My mind went blank.

Noel's rise had never been gentle. He was used to being ruthless.

I had been his only soft spot.

Right or wrong never mattered. He always chose his people over the truth.

And now the person driving the knife into my chest was him.

Noel rubbed his thumb across the charm, his cold features growing more and more unrecognizable through my blurred vision.

"Brooklyn, you've been very disobedient. Go in and reflect on that for a few days."

"Don't worry, it won't be long. When you come out, I'll put the necklace back on you myself."

I twisted my lips into something that might have been a smile.

I watched the officers walk in. As the cuffs closed around my wrists, I pulled my hand free of his grip, my face perfectly blank.

The sudden emptiness in his palm made Noel frown. He stared at my retreating back, seized by the irrational feeling that he would never hold on to me again.

He was about to step forward when Florence caught his arm first.

"Noel, thank you for standing up for me. I was so scared just now."

Noel clicked his tongue and pinched her cheek, indulgent as ever. "What do you want as compensation?"

Florence plucked the charm from his hand with a grin and tossed it into the trash.

When his expression shifted, she immediately let her eyes redden with hurt. "Is it that important?"

She made a show of reaching for the trash can. "I'll fish it out for you, then. You two have known each other since you were kids. Even if she hurt me, I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Noel pulled her in by the waist, his heart melting completely. "Nothing's more important than you. Don't dirty your hands. Here, take my black card. Buy whatever you want."

Florence puffed her cheeks and refused. "I don't want your money. I only love you."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm the one who wants to spend it on you. If you don't let me, I won't feel right."

Only then did Florence accept the card, making a reluctant show of it.

Three days later, I was led out of the detention cell in a daze.

Taken straight to a private lounge at a members-only club.

I pushed the door open. There on the couch, dead center, sat Noel and Florence, sharing a single grape between their lips.

The grape slipped. They fell into a deep, tangled kiss.

The men and women scattered around them whooped and hollered loud enough to shake the walls.

I didn't know how long I stood there before Noel finally noticed me in the doorway.

His eyes locked onto my gaunt, colorless face, and his expression darkened instantly. "What happened? Did someone give you trouble in there?"