Chapter 3The Agony of Unspoken Goodbyes

When I got down from the platform, the wind had already dried the tears on my face.

My mother-in-law sent me the address for the meeting. I plugged it into my GPS. Just as I was about to pull away, someone tapped on my window.

I looked up, and was startled to see Roxy’s face.

“Hey, old hag. You probably recognize me. You saw everything at the gaming hotel, didn’t you?”

She swung a baseball bat, smashing it against my car window.

CRACK.

Shards of glass flew past my cheek, stinging like fire.

Roxy grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking me halfway out of the broken window. She leaned in, her voice a low hiss in my ear.

“I’m here to tell you, since you heard Preston say he’s divorcing you, you better play along. Or I’ll make you regret it.”

“I’ve seen your type before. So high and mighty. You know what he hates most? A dead fish like you. I’m the only one who can give him passion!”

I met her defiant gaze. “So?”

Roxy’s smirk faltered, her bleached-blonde bangs seeming to bristle with anger.

“I’m not letting him go, Audrey! He’s the first good man I’ve ever met. He spoils me, he cares for me more than my own father does, and he gives me money to take care of my grandma!”

“Don’t you get it? A man’s money is where his heart is. Does he do that for you?”

I tried to pry her fingers from my hair, my voice hoarse. “You think he really loves you? You’re just a cheap thrill, the easiest way for him to feel something new. Once the novelty wears off, there will be a second you, and a third…”

Her face flushed crimson, as if I’d struck a nerve. “Who are you to judge me?!” she shrieked, dragging me out of the car.

Rip.

A button on my blouse tore off, and the sudden cold air made me panic. She held up her phone, pointing the camera at me, her voice shrill.

“You think because you were born with a silver spoon you can lecture me? Let’s see how a high-and-mighty princess like you survives after I plaster these pictures all over the internet!”

Her strength was shocking. As she dragged me, the rhinestones on her nails scraped red lines across my skin.

I stumbled backward, my voice shaking with rage. “What you’re doing is illegal!”

Roxy sneered. “Illegal? I’ve got nothing to lose. What are you, with your perfect little life, going to do about it?”

She panted, then dialed a number on her phone. “Yo, get the girls over here. I’m at the Starlight garage. We’re about to have some fun with a new toy.”

My brow furrowed. I tried to snatch her phone, but she slammed the car door on my hand. A blinding, excruciating pain shot up my arm, making me tremble uncontrollably.

I gritted my teeth against the agony, pushing against the door and screaming for help.

“Security! Somebody, help!”

Silence. Despair began to creep in. My composure finally shattered. I frantically looked around for anything to defend myself with.

No one was coming. I was on my own.

My eyes landed on a fire extinguisher on a nearby pillar. I was trying to wrestle my hand free when a familiar, confused voice cut through the air.

“Audrey?”