Mill

e the social event of the season. In reality, it was just

bric of a dress I loathed. It was gold, sequin

ant. "You need to s

o the blinding glare of the spotlights. The applause hit me li

very inch the king of his manufactu

. His pal

amplified and booming through the hall. "Ten years of

ped to

ped in synchr

ngagement. We were young and

sive pink diamond. It was ostentatious. It was vulgar. It was ex

e again,

en slowly poisoning me. The man who want

y throat, acid

ast my lips, a shout rang ou

ia

aisle. It was Julian, the lead engineer from the early days

like a weapon. "You stole my patent! And you," he pointe

tide moving to intercept, but Julian

his eyes wild and bloodshot. "He loves the m

e papers in

i. They weren't patent designs.

the park. Entering a hotel.

began to click. The flashbulbs went crazy,

lay at my feet like falle

d past me, scanning the crowd with predator's

lo

here!" Ethan roa

n, but at the photos, tryi

ping on the hem of t

e. He lunged toward the edge of the st

run!" he

was an accident, a stumble i

teady me, but to clear his

the way!"

eel caught on the lip of t

fe

to the concrete floor

in my knee, white-hot and blinding, before radiating up

ge lights. They were blurry halos

second, a foolish, hopeful second, I though

She was clutching his arm, fak

m scared!"

. He saw me lying

e barked at a

He wrapped his arm around Chloe

g wouldn't respond. A shar

d, had stepped on my hand. The imprint of his dr

Voices were loud, distorte

she

see the

left

ed back over her shoulder. Our eye

as small, triump

. I was a spectacle. The dis

leg was a dull roar, but the pain in

sed m

want to