Chapter 7

"Do not confuse our public performance with reality, Alicia."

Johansen stood by the massive windows of the penthouse dining room. He did not look at me. His voice was completely devoid of emotion.

"I saw you looking into the study last night," he continued. "You are a means to an end. We are partners in vengeance. Nothing more. Do not expect a husband when the doors are closed."

I poured myself a cup of black coffee. My hand did not shake. I felt absolutely no heartbreak.

"I do not want a husband," I replied coldly. "I want Reese Castillo destroyed. You want the same. We understand each other perfectly."

Johansen finally turned his head. A faint flicker of respect crossed his icy features. He gave a single, curt nod. The boundary was set in stone. We were two hollow people using each other as weapons. That was exactly how I preferred it.

Two hours later, I was sitting at my desk in the hospital executive office. I was reviewing the legal paperwork to permanently revoke Reese's medical license.

The heavy oak door suddenly clicked shut.

I looked up. Reese stood inside my office. He had bypassed the lobby security by using the private staff stairwell he knew so well. He looked disheveled. His hair was messy. He was breathing heavily.

"Get out," I said. I reached for the security button on my desk phone.

Reese lunged forward. He did not attack me. Instead, he dropped heavily to his knees right beside my chair.

"Alicia, please," Reese begged. His voice cracked. Tears welled in his eyes and spilled down his cheeks. "Just give me five minutes. Please. I am begging you."

I pulled my hand away from the phone. I stared down at him. The performance was incredible. If I were still the naive diner waitress from a week ago, my heart would have shattered for him. Now, I just felt a deep, sickening disgust.

"Speak," I commanded.

Reese grabbed the armrest of my chair. He looked up at me with desperate, pleading eyes.

"I never wanted to marry her," Reese choked out. "Chloe trapped me, Alicia. Years ago, she got pregnant. I was a broke medical student. I panicked. I thought I had to do the right thing for the baby. I sacrificed my own happiness. I sacrificed us."

He let out a broken sob. He buried his face against the edge of my desk.

"I have lived in absolute misery for six years," Reese continued. "I thought about you every single day. I only took your money because I was desperate to finish my degree so I could finally leave her and come back to you. I love you, Alicia. I have always loved you."

My phone was resting flat on the desk, just inches from his head. I slowly moved my hand. I tapped the screen. I opened the voice memo app. I hit the red record button.

"You love me?" I asked softly. I made my voice tremble just enough to sound vulnerable.

Reese heard the shift in my tone. He immediately looked up. Hope flashed in his deceitful eyes.

"More than anything," Reese swore.

I reached out. I gently placed my hand on his head. I stroked his hair exactly the way I used to when he was stressed about his medical exams.

"But you are married to Chloe," I whispered. "You have a life with her."

"I hate her," Reese spat out. The venom in his voice was entirely real. "Chloe is a monster. She is a vicious, controlling nightmare. I despise every second I spend in that house with her. I wish I had never met her. I only want you, Alicia. I will leave her today. I will walk away from everything if you just give me a second chance."

I kept stroking his hair. The voice memo app recorded every single word.

"Go home, Reese," I said gently. "Go home and pack your things. Let me handle everything else."

Reese smiled. It was a sickening, triumphant smile. He truly believed he had won. He believed he had manipulated the billionaire's wife into handing his life back to him.

"I will wait for you," Reese whispered. He stood up, kissed the back of my hand, and hurried out of the office.

The door clicked shut.

I immediately pulled my hand back and wiped it on my skirt. I picked up my phone and stopped the recording. I attached the audio file to a new text message. I typed in Chloe's phone number.

I pressed send.

---

Reese unlocked the front door of the Mayfair townhouse. He felt like a king. He had played Alicia perfectly. She was going to drop Johansen, and she was going to give him the hospital. He had secured his future.

He pushed the door open.

"Chloe?" Reese called out. "We need to talk."

He stepped into the foyer and froze.

The house was completely destroyed. The antique mirrors were shattered into a thousand pieces. The heavy silk curtains were ripped from the walls. Smashed glass and broken porcelain covered the expensive hardwood floors.

"Chloe?" Reese asked. His voice trembled. The arrogant confidence vanished instantly.

He walked slowly into the living room. The lights were off. The heavy drapes were pulled shut.

Chloe was sitting in the center of the ruined room. She was sitting in a velvet armchair. Her phone rested on the coffee table in front of her. Reese's own voice was playing from the speaker on a continuous loop.

I hate her. Chloe is a monster. I despise every second I spend in that house with her.

Chloe looked up. Her eyes were completely bloodshot. Her makeup was smeared across her pale face. She did not look angry. She looked completely, terrifyingly unhinged.

"You despise me," Chloe whispered.

Reese backed away. "Chloe, listen to me. I had to say that. I was tricking her."

Chloe stood up. Her hand dropped to her side. Her fingers curled around a heavy, dark object. She raised her arm and pointed it directly at his chest.

It was a loaded handgun.

"You are not going anywhere, Reese," Chloe said deadpan. She pulled the hammer back with a sharp click. "We are going to stay married until death do us part."