Sleep wouldn't come.

No matter how I tried, my mind refused to quiet. Images of Julian and Seraphina burned behind my eyelids—the way he must be holding her now, whispering comforts into her ear.

Finally, I threw back the covers and started packing.

The next morning, I was jolted awake by a commotion in the living room. Annoyed, I opened the bedroom door to see Julian's men hauling away a wooden box.

"Are we really trashing this? What if Miss Donovan asks?"

"She’s getting tossed out on her ass. Who gives a damn?"

"Exactly. The new Mrs. Thorne is moving in. This whole place is getting gutted. Everything goes."

My heart seized. I lunged forward to stop them. "Don't you dare throw that out!"

But Julian caught my arm, his voice nonchalant. "It's just some wooden carving. It's gone. I'll buy you a more expensive one."

I frowned, a fresh wave of disappointment washing over me. He’d forgotten. It was the first good-luck charm I had ever carved for him. I dropped my gaze, yanked my arm free, and gave in. "Fine. Throw it away."

His gaze was indifferent, his tone as cold as ice. "The penthouse needs to be cleared out and redecorated. Your flight is in three days. Until then, you'll stay at a motel."

I stared at him, shocked he was so eager to get rid of me. There wasn't a shred of warmth in his eyes. To him, I was just a pet he'd grown tired of.

As his men drove me away, my chest felt heavy as lead. Through the rear window, I watched Julian standing in the doorway, personally directing the renovations, completely absorbed in preparing for his new life. I let out a bitter, silent laugh.

A pain so sharp it felt like a fist clenching around my heart ripped through me.

The car rolled to a stop in a desolate district of abandoned warehouses by the port. I glanced at the driver in confusion just as my door was wrenched open. Two Soldatos grabbed me, dragging me roughly from the car.

And there, standing by the roadside with an air of regal arrogance, was Seraphina Ricci. A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. She was stunning, a woman born to be at the center of a storm of power. No wonder Julian would give up everything for her.

When she saw me, her eyes swept over me with undisguised contempt.

"Julian was right. You are utterly unremarkable. A plain, forgettable girl who could never belong in our world. No wonder he only ever saw you as a plaything."

I frowned, my voice sharp with displeasure. "Then I suppose you’re the next plaything in line."

Her face darkened. Her hand cracked across my cheek.

"You're nothing but his cast-off whore, while I am the woman he is going to marry. You will learn your place and disappear."

My cheek stung, but my eyes went cold. Without a flicker of hesitation, I slapped her back.

She froze, her hand flying to her cheek, and then she shrieked with fury. "How dare you hit me!"

Seraphina raised her hand to strike me again, but I shoved her hard. She stumbled back, lost her footing, and collapsed onto the grimy asphalt.

She pointed a trembling finger at me, roaring at her men, "Hit her! Beat her senseless!"

As the two Soldatos advanced, their expressions menacing, I snapped, "I'm still with Julian. You touch me, and he'll kill you."

They hesitated.

Just then, Julian came running over, his face etched with concern as he rushed to help Seraphina from the ground.

"Seraphina, are you hurt?"

She bit her lip, a picture of wounded innocence, and showed him her palms, scraped raw by the gravel. His face instantly hardened, and his furious gaze snapped to me.

I opened my mouth to explain, but before a single word could escape, his hand swung through the air and struck me hard across the face.

"His men might not dare to touch you," he snarled, "but I do!"