The Rejected Burden: Rising From The Shadows

The door to the VIP suite was heavy, soundproofed leather. Isadora had to use both hands to push it open. As soon as the seal broke, the music exploded outward, a wall of bass and synth that rattled her teeth.

The room was bathed in low, purple light. Waitresses in corsets moved through the crowd with sparklers attached to magnum bottles of champagne. The air smelled of smoke and expensive vodka.

Isadora scanned the room, her hand clutching the small gift bag containing the cufflinks. Her knuckles were white.

"There he is," Zoe shouted over the music, pointing toward the center of the room.

Grafton was standing on the main banquette, looking like the king of the world. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his hair perfectly messy. He was laughing, holding a glass of champagne high in the air.

Isadora's heart did that treacherous leap again. He looked so happy.

Then she saw who he was talking to.

He wasn't looking at the door. He was looking down at a woman sitting on the couch in front of him. All Isadora could see was a cascade of blonde hair and a backless silver dress that dipped dangerously low.

"Grafton!" one of his friends, a guy named Topher, yelled. "Look who made it! Little Izzy!"

Grafton turned. His face lit up when he saw her. It was the same smile he had given her for twenty years-warm, easy, familiar.

"Izzy!" he shouted, jumping down from the banquette. "You're here!"

He moved toward her, and for a second, Isadora thought he was going to hug her. But he stopped a few feet away. He was holding something in his left hand.

A long, black velvet box.

Aurelia.

Isadora stopped breathing. The world narrowed down to that box. The noise of the club faded into a dull roar. He had it. He had the bracelet. He was holding it right now, walking toward her on the night their lives were supposed to merge.

"I have a surprise," Grafton said, his eyes gleaming. "I've been waiting all night to do this."

Isadora felt tears prick her eyes. She took a step forward. "Grafton, I..."

"Wait," Grafton said, holding up a finger. He turned back to the blonde woman on the couch. "Sweetheart, come here."

The woman stood up and turned around.

It was Bella Sterling.

Isadora felt like she had been punched in the stomach. Bella was everything Isadora wasn't-tall, statuesque, with a face that was beautiful in a sharp, predatory way. She was the daughter of Sterling Capital, their biggest market competitor.

Bella smiled at Isadora. It didn't reach her eyes.

"Come here," Grafton said again, reaching for Bella's hand. He pulled her to his side, his arm going around her waist possessively.

Isadora stood frozen, the gift bag heavy in her hand. Her brain couldn't process the image.

"Everyone!" Grafton shouted, his voice booming over the music. The DJ lowered the volume. The room went semi-quiet.

"I want to make an announcement," Grafton said, looking down at Bella with a look of adoration Isadora had never seen directed at herself. "Our families have finally merged. Everyone, meet my fiancée, Bella."

A cheer went up from the room. Confetti cannons popped from the ceiling. Strips of gold paper rained down, landing in Isadora's hair, sticking to her eyelashes.

Grafton opened the black velvet box.

Inside sat the Eternity Lock bracelet. The diamonds caught the strobe lights, flashing violently.

Isadora watched, paralyzed, as Grafton took Bella's wrist. He wrapped the bracelet around it.

Click.

The sound was tiny, but to Isadora, it sounded like a gunshot. The lock snapped shut.

"It fits perfectly," Bella cooed, holding her wrist up to the light. She looked at Isadora, her eyes glittering with malice. "Oh, hi Isadora. Grafton talks about you all the time. His little mascot."

"Mascot?" Isadora whispered. The word tasted like bile.

Grafton laughed, oblivious. He grabbed a bottle of champagne and poured it into a tower of glasses. He grabbed one and shoved it into Isadora's hand.

"Drink up, Izzy!" Grafton said, clinking his glass against hers so hard champagne sloshed over her fingers. "It's a double celebration. My girl and my best friend. Congratulations to us all!"

He didn't even wait for her to answer. He turned back to Bella, kissing her on the temple.

Zoe stepped forward, her face twisted in rage. "Grafton, are you serious right now?"

Isadora grabbed Zoe's wrist. Her grip was iron-hard. "Don't," she hissed.

"But Isadora-"

"Don't." Isadora's voice was devoid of emotion. She couldn't let them see. She couldn't let Bella see her bleed.

She stood there, the champagne sticky on her hand, the confetti tangled in her hair. She looked at the bracelet on Bella's wrist. It was a shackle. It was a promise. And it wasn't hers.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Bella asked, thrusting her wrist toward Isadora's face. "The salesman said it means 'locked together forever.' Isn't that sweet?"

"Yeah," Isadora said. Her throat felt like it was full of glass shards. "It's... lovely."

Grafton wrapped both arms around Bella from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. He looked at Isadora with that same, stupid, happy grin.

"I knew you'd be happy for me, Izzy," he said. "You're the best."

Isadora gripped the stem of the champagne glass so hard she thought it might snap. She forced the corners of her mouth up. It wasn't a smile. It was a grimace of pure agony.

"The best," she echoed.