He Thinks I Betrayed Him

The engagement party was held in Duke's penthouse apartment, with a view of the entire Chicago skyline.

When I arrived, Victoria was having a maid fasten an expensive necklace for her.

The diamonds under the lights were blinding.

She saw me and waved with a saccharine smile. "Scarlett, come over here and check this for me. Is the clasp a little loose?"

I walked over and, with my eyes downcast, helped her adjust it.

The moment my fingers brushed the cold diamonds, Victoria cried out, stumbling back. The necklace fell to the floor, the clasp snapping with a sharp crack.

"Oh!" She covered her mouth, her eyes instantly welling with tears. "Scarlett, I know you hate me, but you can't destroy the engagement necklace Duke gave me!"

Every head in the room turned to stare.

Duke stormed out of an adjacent room, his face darkening when he saw the broken necklace on the floor.

"Scarlett Hayes!" he snarled, his hand clamping around my wrist with enough force to shatter bone. "Did you do that on purpose?"

I shook my head, my hands flying up to sign an explanation.

But he wasn't looking. He was already dragging me toward the terrace.

"Since you can't keep your goddamn hands to yourself, go outside and cool your head off!"

Before I could react, he had hauled me over the edge of the balcony, dangling half my body over the abyss.

The cold wind rushed into my mouth and nose.

I scrambled for a hold on the railing, my eyes finding Duke standing just inside the balcony, gazing down at me with cold indifference.

Victoria snuggled up beside him, whispering, "Duke, let it go. I don't think Scarlett did it on purpose."

"Not on purpose?" Duke sneered. "I know her. She can't stand to see anyone else happy."

I hung there, my body trembling.

The wind howled, threatening to rip me from my precarious hold.

Duke's leather shoe rested on the railing, inches from my fingers.

"Did I say you could come up? You stay there. When the party's over, you can go to the storage room and think about what you've done."

Victoria tugged at his arm. "Duke, the guests are all watching, this doesn't look good..."

"What's not to look good? A thieving cleaning lady slips and falls. Who's going to care?"

He wrapped his arm around Victoria's waist and guided her back to the party.

I hung outside, watching their receding backs.

The party lights were beautiful, the champagne tower glittered, and the diamonds on Victoria's dress were so bright they hurt my eyes.

It was just like the future we had imagined five years ago, huddled together in our rundown apartment.

The weather had been just as clear, the city skyline just as beautiful.

He had held me and said, "Scarlett, I'll love you forever."

Later, a lifetime shrank to three years. Shrank to a shootout.

Shrank to this moment, dangling from his penthouse balcony, waiting for a party to end so I could be locked in a storage room.

I don't know how much time passed before Dominic, the butler, called to me. "Hey, you. Come on in."

When he pulled me up, my legs were too numb to stand.

The butler frowned. "Get to work. Mr. Costello wants you in charge of the beverage station. No mistakes."

I nodded and made my way to the main hall.

As I passed a lounge, I glanced through the slightly ajar door. Victoria was laughing, showing Duke her earrings. I read her lips: 'Duke, do you like my new diamond earrings?'

His expression softened in a way I didn't recognize as he answered. I could only make out one word: 'Beautiful.'

'So... more beautiful than anything Scarlett wears, right?'