His Atonement Gift of Lies

After two weeks at a private recovery center my mother had arranged, I’d finally regained some of my strength.

I returned to the penthouse apartment I shared with Ethan, ready to pack my things.

I was leaving for good.

However, the moment I opened the door, I walked in on a party.

Ethan was hosting a welcome-home party for Scarlett, who had returned early.

The music screeched to a halt. Everyone froze, staring at me.

My composure caught Ethan off guard.

He frowned, striding toward me.

"Ava, what are you doing here? I thought you were still at the recovery center."

Behind him, a girl in a white dress stepped out—Scarlett Vance.

Looking the very picture of angelic innocence, she looped her arm through Ethan’s.

She smiled at me with a practiced show of magnanimity.

"Ava, I moved past what happened between us a long time ago. You should stay and celebrate with us, alright?"

Ethan couldn't bear the sight of her feigned distress for even a second.

He grabbed my wrist, his tone harsh.

"Scarlett wants you to stay. So you'll stay."

He shoved me onto a sofa in the corner.

His friends immediately surrounded me, their eyes filled with derision.

"Ava, heard your latest design won some little award? Going to grace us with the details?"

One of them snatched my portfolio, sneering as he flipped it open.

"This is it? So childish."

The words were barely out of his mouth when another friend poured red wine all over my drawings.

The ink bled across the page, ruining months of hard work.

They roared with laughter.

I refused to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.

I just gazed calmly at the spreading stain, then rose to my feet, ready to leave.

My silence seemed to enrage them.

Malice glinted in Scarlett's eyes.

"Oh, is she getting a little hot under the collar? I think she needs to cool off."

She shot a meaningful look at the others.

They grinned, closing in on me.

Ice-cold panic shot through me.

They dragged me toward the rooftop terrace, my breath catching in my throat.

As a child, I had nearly drowned in a lake.

Water has been my deepest fear ever since.

No matter how I struggled, they dragged me relentlessly to the edge of the infinity pool.

They shoved me in.

The icy water swallowed me whole.

I screamed, choking and sputtering, desperately flailing toward the surface.

They just stood on the edge, laughing, savoring my frantic struggle.

"Cool off! You don't belong in our world!"

My vision began to blur, darkness creeping in at the edges.

Just as I was about to lose consciousness from the panic and lack of air—

"Stop! Are you all insane?!"

It was Ethan's voice.