The wedding Annelise Vance had waited five years for was postponed. Again. Because of Everett Beaumont's foster sister, Cassandra. She stood in the Plaza Hotel's ballroom. Just like the ninety-nine times before, she moved through the routine flawlessly. Apologized to every guest. Asked them to leave. A bone-deep exhaustion settled into her. "Annie, Cassie ran off to some street art fair in Brooklyn again." Everett Beaumont approached, apology in his voice, fingers brushing her elbow. "You know that girl. Always forgetting things. We'll do it next time, okay?" Annelise didn't turn around. She stared at the carved doors across the room, watching a server carefully remove the floral sign that read *Beaumont & Vance Wedding*. "Okay?" Everett asked again. That assured tenderness in his voice. "Okay," she said. It wasn't the first time anyway. Everett exhaled in relief. He reached to ruffle her hair. She tilted her head, and his hand met empty air. "I need to go get Cassie. She bought too much stuff." He already had his car keys out, feet moving toward the door. Annelise watched him walk away. "Everett. You promised me. If the hundredth time still doesn't happen—" "There haven't been that many." He didn't turn around. His voice even carried a smile. "You're remembering wrong. Next time. I promise." The door closed behind him. Annelise stood still. Slowly, she pulled out her phone. A memo on the screen. She'd recorded every postponement. From the first entry to the hundredth one now. Every single one documented, clear and precise. He said she remembered wrong. A laugh escaped her. Quiet. Hollow. "Annie?" Her mother's voice came from behind. Mrs. Joan Vance, eyes red-rimmed, gripped her daughter's arm. "This wedding…" Annelise looked up. She saw the tears her mother was holding back. The unspoken worry. "It's off." Her voice was barely a whisper, like she was discussing something that had nothing to do with her. "You and Dad go back to Queens first. I'll come home after I sort out the joint account with him." Mrs. Vance froze. "Annie—" "Mom." Annelise squeezed her hand. "I'm just… done running into a wall." Joan Vance opened her mouth. She let out a heavy sigh instead. She looked into her daughter's eyes and saw something she'd never seen there before. Not sadness. A deep, unsettling calm. She turned and got into the yellow taxi. Annelise watched the car merge into traffic. Then she walked back into the ballroom. She stood in the empty hall. For five years, she'd been the one to apologize to every guest. The one to clean up every mess. But this time, she just stood there. Then she turned abruptly. Headed for the parking lot. She didn't know why. She followed him. She drove her car. Trailed Everett's black Range Rover from a distance. Watched him park outside the crowded street art fair. Cassandra was in a puff-sleeved dress. She threw herself into his arms like a leaping fawn. The smile that broke across Everett's face was so radiant it looked foreign to Annelise. That completely relaxed, unreserved adoration. She had almost never seen it. She stared. Her fingers dug into the steering wheel without her noticing. Cassandra dragged him through the booths of street artists. Forced a ridiculous fluorescent bucket hat on his head. Held up her phone for selfies. Everett looked exasperated. But he indulged her anyway. Even bent down when she stood on tiptoe to stick a decal on his face. Annelise watched it all. Five years. Every time she suggested a simple beach wedding in the Hamptons, or a lawn ceremony in Central Park, Everett would frown and refuse. A Beaumont wedding had to follow tradition. Nothing casual. But here he was. Doing every single "casual" thing with Cassandra. He wasn't rigid. He wasn't bound by rules. He just didn't want to break them for her. She followed them all day. She watched Everett stand in line with Cassandra to buy street food. Watched her act coy until he carried her across the street on his back. Watched him trail behind, arms full of colorful shopping bags, wiping her sweat, even crouching down to tie her undone shoelaces. He had never done any of these things for her. The sky darkened. Annelise finally turned the car around. She couldn't watch anymore. Back at their Upper East Side apartment building, her car couldn't open the garage gate. She froze. Then remembered. The last time Cassandra threw a tantrum at their place, she'd smashed Annelise's favorite coffee cup. Annelise said a few words, and Cassandra ran out crying. That night, to soothe her, Everett deleted Annelise's license plate from the access system. "You ride in my car anyway," he'd said then. As if it were the most natural thing in the world. Annelise let out a bitter laugh. She parked at a metered spot on the street. Started walking back. The night wind was cold. She wrapped her arms around herself. Stepped onto the sidewalk. Blinding headlights swung at her from the side. *Bang—* The impact was massive. Her body flew through the air like a broken marionette. The last second before consciousness slipped away, she saw it dimly. Cassandra in the driver's seat, panic-stricken, throwing herself into the passenger seat. Into Everett's arms. And him. Holding her tight. His face full of ache.
Annelise opened her eyes to a hospital room washed in stark white. The anesthesia had worn off. Pain spread through her limbs like crawling vines. She tried to move. Her right leg was in a cast. Her left arm wrapped in bandages. Voices came from outside the door. Familiar ones. "Ev, I really didn't mean it!" Cassandra's voice, thick with tears. "How was I supposed to know she'd just walk out from the curb—" "Stop. Don't cry, Cassie." Everett's voice was low, gentle. "I'm here. Nothing's going to happen." Annelise stared at the ceiling. She propped herself against the bed edge. Moved inch by inch through the searing pain. Gripped the wall and dragged herself to the door. Shoved it open. In the corridor, Cassandra was pressed against Everett's chest, cheek against his shirt, fingers clutching his suit lapel. Everett's hand moved on her back in slow, soothing strokes. Like calming a startled cat. They both turned at the noise. Tears still clung to Cassandra's face. But the moment her eyes landed on Annelise, a flash of irritation crossed them. She turned her face away. Everett froze for a beat. Then he released Cassandra. Hurried over to support Annelise. "Annie, why are you out of bed? The doctor said—" "I'm fine." Annelise pulled away from his hand. Her gaze settled on Cassandra. "Your sister, on the other hand. She hits someone with a car. Can't even manage a 'sorry'?" Everett frowned. Turned to Cassandra. "Cassie. Apologize to your future sister-in-law." Cassandra's eyes flew wide. "For what? I said I didn't do it on purpose!" She stamped her foot. Her voice pitched higher. "Ev! You never forced me to do anything before—" "Before was before." Annelise's voice was quiet. Every word distinct. "Now I'm lying in a hospital. She won't even say sorry. Is that too much to ask?" Everett's expression hardened. "Cassie. Apologize." Cassandra bit her lip. Her eyes reddened again instantly. She glared at Annelise. Then grabbed her own phone and hurled it at the floor. "I won't!" She spun to run. Annelise's cold voice stopped her. "Block her." Two men in black suits appeared at the end of the corridor. They blocked Cassandra's path. Everett stared. "Annie, what is this—" "Since she doesn't understand basic decency," Annelise looked at Cassandra's suddenly panicked face, each word measured, "send her somewhere she can learn it." Cassandra screamed. "Ev! I don't want to go to some etiquette school in Switzerland! You promised Mom and Dad you'd always take care of me!" Everett's mouth opened on reflex. Then his gaze landed on Annelise's bandaged arm. His throat moved. He just said quietly, "Go. Come back when you've learned." Cassandra stared in disbelief. Tears rolled down her face in fat drops. This time, Everett didn't soften. The bodyguards hauled her away. The corridor finally fell silent. The next few days, Everett never left the hospital room. He fed her water with his own hands. Wiped her face. When she woke in pain in the middle of the night, he was on his feet instantly, pressing the call button. Annelise watched him fussing over her. Quiet. Still. Her mind drifted to a winter night five years ago. She'd worked late. Her stomach was cramping so badly she broke out in cold sweat. Everett drove across half the city through a snowstorm. Brought food. Brought medicine. He'd cupped her ice-cold hands in his palms and said, "You have me now. I won't let you go through anything alone again." That one sentence. That's what made her endure ninety-nine times. "Annie?" Everett's voice pulled her back. "Still hurting?" Annelise shook her head. Everett took her hand. His voice thick with guilt. "When you're better, I'll tie Cassie up if I have to. She'll be at the wedding. Nothing will go wrong this time—" "That joint account," Annelise said suddenly. "How long does it take to unbind?" Everett went rigid. "What?" "Just asking." Her tone was even. Everett stared at her for several seconds. His throat worked. "Quick. A day or two." Annelise nodded. Said nothing more. The room fell into sudden silence. After a long while, Everett stood. "I have a meeting at the company. I'll come see you tomorrow." Annelise answered with a soft sound. Watched him walk to the door. "Everett." He looked back. "Nothing." His back stiffened noticeably. But he didn't turn around. He just pulled the door shut gently behind him.
The day Annelise was discharged, Everett didn't show up. She dragged her still-healing body straight to the bank. The private banker took her ID with both hands. Typed briefly on the keyboard. Looked up with a professional smile. "Miss Vance, the joint account unbinding can take effect today. Would you like me to process it now?" "Do it now." Annelise's voice was calm. "All of it." Back home, Annelise eased herself into a chair at the dining table. Pain from her wounds made cold sweat bead at her temples. She was reaching for a glass of water when the apartment door slammed open. Everett burst in. Carrying Cassandra. Annelise froze. Cassandra was shaking violently. Her expensive tweed dress was crumpled and twisted around her body. Her bare arms were mottled with bruises. Her eyes were unfocused. Mouth muttering something incoherent. She looked like someone who'd suffered a complete breakdown. "Satisfied?" Everett's voice was ice. He shoved Cassandra toward Annelise. "Look at what you did!" Annelise stood up. "I don't know what you're talking about." "Playing dumb?" Everett flipped the dining table. Glass cups crashed to the floor, shattering. "What kind of place did you send her to? Psychological conditioning? Drug injections? Locking her in dark rooms? That's your so-called etiquette school?" Cassandra shrieked suddenly. Covered her head and crouched down. "Don't lock me up! I'll be good! I'll be good—" Annelise stared in shock. "I arranged a legitimate finishing institution. Right here in New York." She didn't finish the sentence before Everett grabbed her chin. "Security footage shows she was transferred the night she arrived. You're telling me you didn't order that?" He threw her aside. Barked at the door. "Now!" Two men in black suits stormed in. They seized Annelise. "Since you think this kind of education is so effective," Everett picked up the treatment center brochure Cassandra had dropped. He flung it in her face. "You go experience it yourself." Annelise struggled violently. She was shoved roughly into a car. What she couldn't see was the thing churning in Everett's eyes as the car door slammed shut. It wasn't just rage. It was something deeper. A predator watching prey try to leave its territory. Cassandra's ordeal might have been an accident. But Annelise's recent behavior. The quiet test of unbinding the account. The way she'd stopped looking at him with that dependent gaze. These small shifts had triggered a specific kind of panic in him. He needed a way to make her understand. Without him, she couldn't even have basic safety. This opportunity had presented itself. He would use it. Make her learn completely what it meant to be *his*. In his arms, Cassandra's mouth curved. An almost invisible arc. Darkness. That was the only thing Annelise felt after being locked inside that "mental health retreat" in the Utah badlands. By the time she was pushed into the treatment room, the wound on her right leg had split open. Dark blood seeped into her pant leg. Every step made her nearly scream. The orderly behind her saw her slow pace. Kicked her directly in the back of the knee. "Ah—" She crashed to her knees on the concrete. The pain whited out her vision. Before she could catch her breath, agony tore through her scalp. The orderly had her by the hair. Dragged her across the floor to a cold treatment chair. "I hear you're the Beaumont family's almost-bride?" The orderly sneered, strapping down her wrists and ankles. "What's wrong? Your fiancé personally sent you in for discipline?" Cold restraints bit into her skin. "I didn't," her voice was hoarse. "I really didn't know—" "Shut up!" A slap cracked across her face. "First rule here. No talking back." Annelise's head snapped to the side. The taste of rust flooded her mouth. Her vision swam. She heard dimly as the orderly spoke into the intercom. "Mr. Beaumont, your fiancée isn't very cooperative. Shall we add the special prescription?" A few seconds of silence. Then Everett's cold voice came through. "Do what you want." No rage in that voice. No loss of control. Just a calm so absolute it was terrifying. Annelise shuddered. This wasn't revenge. This was breaking. The orderly pulled a syringe from the medicine cabinet. Tapped the barrel. Walked toward her. The sting of the needle piercing her vein. Ice-cold liquid pushed into her bloodstream. Then a second injection. Unknown drugs began peeling her consciousness away. Her heart raced wildly, then slowed to a near stop. Like a fist squeezing the organ and releasing it. Nausea and vertigo crashed over her in waves. This wasn't treatment. This was punishment. Late night. Annelise was thrown back into the isolation cell. A few square meters of space. A hard plank bed. She curled in the corner. The wound on her right leg had festered. The slightest movement sent bone-deep pain through her. She was burning with fever. On the edge of consciousness, she heard the iron door crash open. "Annie? Annie—"
By the time Everett carried Annelise out of that hell, her consciousness was nearly gone. Her body was on fire. The wound on her right leg was blackened with necrosis. But when the doctor moved to administer anesthesia, Everett stopped him cold. "No. Let her remember this lesson." The pain of needle and thread tearing through flesh made her vision go dark. She bit down on her lip until blood dripped down her chin. Tears fell uncontrollably. Trembling, she clutched Everett's sleeve. "Why… do this to me?" Everett looked down at her. For one moment, the cruelty in his eyes seemed to crack open. Something deeper underneath. Exhaustion. Weariness. But the crack sealed fast. He used his fingers to lift her chin, pressing hard enough to leave white marks on her skin. His voice was low. Certain. "Because you started wanting to leave me. And I won't allow it." Annelise's whole body jolted. Her eyes went wide. "You think I didn't know? Unbinding the account. The way you've been looking at me lately. Like you're trying to talk yourself out of something." His tone was light. Almost carrying a faint smile. Like he was discussing something trivial. "You're mine. Every inch of your skin. Every flicker of emotion. It all belongs to me. That I didn't find a way to make you remember this fact earlier. That was my oversight." Annelise suddenly laughed. Tears streaming down her face. "I understand now." "Good that you understand." Everett's voice softened a fraction. He gestured for the doctor to continue bandaging. "I love you. But some boundaries you don't cross. This time you took some pain. There won't be more unpleasantness like this between us in the future." "The wedding?" Annelise's voice was raw. "There won't ever be a wedding." Everett's expression froze. Before he could speak, the doctor cut in. "Mr. Beaumont, the wound infection is severe. She might run a high fever tonight. Someone needs to stay with her." "I'm staying." Everett's voice left no room for argument. He turned back to Annelise, tone gentler. "Sleep. I'm not going anywhere." When the doctors and nurses had left, he pulled a chair to the bedside. Reached out and gently brushed the sweat-damp hair from Annelise's forehead. Annelise stilled. Five years ago, when she had that bad flu, Everett had sat by her bed in her apartment just like this. Awkwardly made soup. Fed her spoonful by spoonful. "Sleep." Everett's voice was soft. His fingers combed slowly through her hair. He began humming a low melody. The lullaby her mother used to hum when she was little. His voice was deep and gentle. Nothing like the cold man issuing orders moments ago. Her body surrendered before her mind did. Her eyelids grew heavy. In the haze, she felt Everett gently patting her back. Still humming that song. Like countless times before, she slowly relaxed into his presence. Into his voice. Sank into the dark. In the middle of the night, Annelise woke to searing pain. Her body was burning up. Through blurred vision, she called weakly. "Everett." The empty hospital room gave back only her own echo. She strained to reach the call button. Couldn't press it. Her throat was parched. She struggled up. The moment she reached her wheelchair, she fell to the floor. "Is anyone there?" She crawled toward the door. Through it, she heard two nurses whispering in the hallway. "All the attending physicians have been pulled to the VIP wing!" "They're saying Miss Beaumont woke up and won't stop crying. Mr. Beaumont was so frantic he had every specialist reassigned." Annelise's vision darkened. She pushed against the wall. Moved toward the VIP section. She had to find a doctor. The door to the VIP suite was ajar. She was about to knock when she saw through the gap. Everett stood over Cassandra's bed. One hand braced on the nightstand. Leaning down close to her face. From Annelise's angle, it looked exactly like a kiss about to land. She didn't even have time to register whether it did. Cassandra's eyes snapped toward the door. Met hers. In that instant, Cassandra's mouth curved. Not surprise. Not panic. A smile. A satisfied curve. Annelise stepped back. Her knee hit a metal trash can in the hallway. The clang was deafening. "Who's there?!" Everett whipped around. His face went pale when he saw Annelise. He rushed out, grabbed her shoulders. "What did you see?" Annelise couldn't speak. Only tears fell. "Listen." Everett pulled her a few steps away. Lowered his voice. His expression was grim with an intensity she rarely saw. "Some things aren't what you think. She's holding something over me. I can't tell you much. But you need to stay away from her. Don't talk to her alone. Don't take her calls. Can you promise me that?" Annelise looked at the rare vigilance and agitation on his face. She couldn't tell if it was concern or another layer of lies. He didn't wait for her answer. Helped her back to her room. Ordered the bodyguards, "Watch her. No one in or out." The door slammed shut behind her. Annelise was trapped inside. Her body too weak to resist. The next day, Annelise woke to agony. She opened her mouth. No sound came out. Panicked, she pressed the call button. The doctor who examined her shook his head. "The high fever and stress response caused severe damage to the vocal cords. It may be very difficult to regain normal speech." Everett, who had rushed over, stood frozen.
"Why wasn't a doctor called?" Everett grabbed the bodyguard by the collar. The bodyguard stammered in terror. "A-all the specialists were with Miss Beaumont… by your own orders." Everett's hand went slack. He turned toward the bed. Annelise lay quietly against the pillow. Her gaze was empty, fixed on the window. No reaction to his rage. "Annie." He sat at her bedside. Reached for her hand. "I will get you the best treatment. I will fix this." Annelise pulled her hand back. Slowly. Didn't even spare him a glance. "Last night," Everett lowered his voice. "Forget it. We'll go back to how things were." The door burst open. Cassandra bounced in. "Ev! The doctor says I'm all better now!" Everett frowned. Looked at his bouncing sister. Looked at his barely conscious fiancée. He opened his mouth. Cassandra's eyes flickered. She burst into tears. "Ev doesn't want me to be okay?" "…No." Everett rubbed his temple. "Isn't there a party tonight? Go get ready." Cassandra's tears vanished into a smile. She glanced at Annelise. "Annie should come too." Annelise shook her head violently. Everett was already nodding. "Of course she'll be there." Once Cassandra left, Everett bent to straighten Annelise's blanket. "Play along. When she's happy, we can keep living our lives." Annelise closed her eyes. "My indulgence of Cassie," Everett said suddenly, voice low, "it's not what you think. Some things, once she exposes them, the Beaumont family is finished. And if the Beaumont family is finished, I lose everything. Including you. Do you understand?" Annelise's mouth pulled into a bitter curve. He'd said "including you." Like she was an item on his asset list. Some piece of fixed property. A line item he didn't have to worry about losing. The party was a blur of clinking glasses and murmured conversation. Annelise sat silent in the corner. Listening to the whispers around her. "I heard she did terrible things to Miss Beaumont. Just to force her way into the family." "Shameless. How many times has that wedding been postponed?" She clutched the fabric of her dress. So this was what everyone thought. She was the vicious outsider. From the corner of her eye, she caught Cassandra furtively pouring something into Everett's glass. She handed it to him. Not long after, Everett stumbled upstairs. Cassandra followed. Annelise looked away. She stood. Headed for the restroom. She'd just pushed the door open when a force yanked her into the adjacent room. "Ah—!" She stumbled to a stop. The scene before her froze her in place. On the large bed, Cassandra huddled to one side. Disheveled. Weeping. Clutching the sheets around herself. Everett's face was abnormally flushed. His eyes unfocused. Clearly not in a lucid state. "Why did she make me come here… I want to die—" Cassandra cried. Everett jolted upright. Grabbed the water glass from the nightstand. Hurled it at Annelise. *Crash!* Blood trickled down her face. "You drugged her drink?" Everett's eyes were bloodshot. Fury and the remnants of whatever drug he'd been given churned together. "Then sent her here. I warned you to stay away from her!" Annelise shook her head desperately. Her silence was the perfect evidence of guilt. Everett pulled his jacket around Cassandra. Pushed her toward the door. "Go. Don't worry. No one will know." When only the two of them remained, he grabbed Annelise's chin. His breathing was heavy. His voice carried the hoarse edge of a cornered animal. "She's driving me insane. Do you know what she's threatening me with? She says she'll send footage of tonight to every gossip outlet. Along with those photos she had someone doctor. It won't just be me. You'll be dragged into it too." He released her. Stepped back. Fists clenched. "And what she wants most. Do you know?" He looked into Annelise's eyes. His voice suddenly went soft. "You gone. Completely, thoroughly erased from my life." What followed happened fast. He spoke coldly to the men outside. "Bring the sedative." The bodyguards forced her mouth open. Poured the liquid down her throat. Annelise thrashed. Useless. "Since she thinks I also consumed something," Everett dragged her by the arm, "let everyone else believe it too. You'll spend a few hours in the cold storage. Wait until the guests are gone. It's the only way to satisfy her temporarily. You just need to endure one night." In the cold storage, Annelise curled in the corner. The drug was taking effect. Her consciousness wrapped in damp, freezing cotton. She clawed at her collar, desperate for coolness. The icy air turned her exposed skin to frost in seconds. "Hah… hah…" She gasped, mouth open. Her breath crystallized into white mist. Between the sedative's stupor and the bone-deep cold, in the haze, she saw it. The first time she met Everett. The sunlight had been beautiful that day. He'd stood under the cherry blossom trees at Columbia University and said, "Annelise Vance, I'm going to make you the happiest woman in the world." But she was dying now. All because of him.
When the cold storage door was forced open, Annelise had already lost sensation. In the blinding light stood Everett's tall figure. He nudged her curled body with the toe of his shoe. "Learned your lesson?" The frost on Annelise's lashes crumbled. She nodded. Slow. Painful. Everett bent and scooped her up. His palm touched her burning skin. He paused. "The drug hasn't worn off?" The private doctor followed nervously behind. "The sedative combined with hypothermia… now that her body temperature is rising, circulation is accelerating. The residual drug effects will intensify." Before he finished speaking, Annelise was tossed onto the massive bed in the master bedroom. Everett tore off his tie and pressed down, his hot breath against her ear. "No…" Annelise pushed him away with everything she had. He stumbled back a step. Stood there. Watched her for a long moment. She didn't look at him. Just turned her head away. Her entire body looked drained of every last drop of strength. Her rejection wasn't anger. Wasn't hate. It was the complete void of someone who couldn't even bother to feel hatred anymore. Everett didn't come closer. He stared at her for a long time. His throat moved. Then he turned and slammed the door behind him. Through the door came his muted voice. "Give her fluids. Just don't let her die in my house." That night, Annelise stood in the shadow of the hallway. Through the crack of the master bedroom door, warm light spilled out. Everett sat alone on the bed. Elbows on his knees. Hands pressed together against his forehead. On the phone before him, a video seemed to be playing. One Cassandra had sent. She couldn't make out the screen from the gap. Only a distorted synthetic voice. "Guess how much the gossip sites would pay for this?" He rubbed his eyes with his palm. Stayed in that position. Didn't move for a long time. Just him alone in that room. And the cold blue light of the phone. Expressionless, Annelise moved. At the turn of the corridor, she came face to face with Cassandra. Two glasses of wine in her hands. Cassandra was in a nearly transparent silk nightgown. She smiled when she saw Annelise. Leaned in. Her voice was for only the two of them. "He won't bother you tonight. After tonight, he won't even have the nerve to look at you anymore." She walked past. Around the corner came a soft gasp. A heavy thud. The sound of shattering glass. "Ev…" Cassandra's tearful voice. "I know you're just scared. Let me be with you. Okay?" Then the sound of something being knocked over. And Everett's hoarse answer. So quiet it was almost inaudible. But his tone was like someone pushing away something he shouldn't touch. "Stay away from me, Cassie. Now." The door closed from the inside. The lock clicked. Annelise didn't keep listening. She walked into the spare bedroom across the hall. Calmly pulled out her phone. On the encrypted messaging app, she tapped the pinned number. "Mr. Shaw. Interested in a deal?" "I'll sell you an opportunity to destroy Everett Beaumont's reputation." "In exchange, find me the best throat specialist in the country." The reply was instant. "Tomorrow. Ten a.m. I'll send the address." The next day, Annelise sat in a Baltimore examination room. Watched the white-haired doctor Declan Shaw had brought remove the laryngoscope from her mouth. The old man frowned. Shook his head. "Vocal cord nerve damage is significant. But not beyond hope." Declan leaned by the window. The business magnate who'd fought the Beaumonts for years smiled. Not quite a smile. "Now. Time to deliver on your promise." Annelise typed on her phone. Turned the screen toward him. Photos of Everett and Cassandra together in private settings. A detailed timeline. And the family secret explosive enough to detonate every media outlet. Cassandra was not the Beaumonts' legally adopted daughter. She was the late Mr. Beaumont's illegitimate child. Born from an affair. Once this came to light, the entire foundation of the family trust would be legally contested. Declan raised an eyebrow. "And here the Upper East Side has been calling you devoted. Suffered all that. And you only just now decide to play this card." She lowered her head. Said nothing. She'd been a fool. If she'd used this earlier, how would she have ended up here? The door to the exam room swung open. Everett strode in. Cold air clung to him. His gaze turned icy when it landed on Declan. "What are you doing here?" Annelise locked her phone instantly. Looked up at Everett. The familiar concern was still in his brow. But now, to her, it was only mockery. "Come back with me." Everett reached for her. Paused at the bandages on her wrist. His voice softened slightly. "I know I went too far. But from now on, listen to me. Stop acting on your own. The more you know about Cassie's background, the less she'll leave you alone." Annelise yanked her hand back. She looked at him. A cold smile curved her mouth. So everything had been within his control all along. Not that he couldn't protect her. He didn't think she needed protecting. Not that he was powerless. He thought she hadn't been broken enough yet. In the car back, Everett gripped the steering wheel. "There's a charity auction tonight. A piece of antique jewelry from a European royal collection. I saw the photos. It would suit you." He glanced at her. "I'll win it for you." Annelise gazed out the window. Nodded slightly. But when night fell and she stood in the corner of the auction, watching Everett walk in with Cassandra on his arm, her heart seized with a violent stab of pain. "Ev, that diamond necklace is so beautiful!" Cassandra tugged his sleeve. Coquettish. Everett raised his paddle without hesitation. "Two million." "Those emerald earrings are gorgeous too!" "Three million." Annelise watched Everett raise his paddle again and again for Cassandra. A bitter laugh rose in her throat. How could she have been so blind? How had it taken her this long to see it?
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