The fire will be contained inside the tub, so it won’t reach me; that’s the thought process I’m sticking with now that it’s too late to go back and alter it.
I don’t fully comprehend my predicament until the first cough erupts at the back of my throat.
Then, I cover my face with the bottom of my dress and pray that I’m right about Titan’s safety processes.
My pulse is racing. My head feels as if it will explode. But I close my eyes, breathe slowly through sapphire-blue fabric and start counting.
I count to twelve before the bathroom door opens. I feel a faint whisper of cooler air. Hear footsteps. Then a muffled, “Fuck!”
It must be George. He switches on the light, the glow barely seeping around the edges of the wall panel. I hear water gushing from the taps, and then the alarm slices through the pain and makes it hard to concentrate on anything else.
I don’t even take a moment to celebrate my small success.
I bury my face in my dress and cover my ears with my hands. Ear-splitting. It’s a word that people use without giving any thought to its meaning. Now, I think I understand. The sound could cut glass. It could defeat entire armies. So, if it doesn’t bring the entire building to a grinding halt sometime soon…
Silence so dense, so debilitating, that I keep my ears covered.
Clean air. Someone must’ve opened a window. I raise my face far enough to fill my lungs. Lower my hands slowly.
I can’t hear anything with the alarm still echoing in my psyche.
I don’t move. Cramp burns through my calf muscles. But still I wait until I’m certain that George isn’t coming back for me.
I didn’t think beyond this. I need to get out of the Titan without drawing attention to myself and I have no idea what time it is, how long I’ve been here, or if Cash has even realized that I’m missing. Maybe his fiancée told him that I went home. They’re probably laughing about it right now, the poor girl who thought she stood a chance with one of New York’s most eligible bachelors.
Now that the alarm has stopped and the danger has passed, all the heart-crushing thoughts are flooding back.
I sniff loudly. Cough. Swallow saliva.
“No.” I shake my head. “I got rid of George. I’m not letting Cassius Murray stop me now.”
I kick the panel down. I’m all out of patience, and I don’t trust myself to stick to my resolve if I hang around. I crawl out of my hiding place and drag myself slowly to my feet, leaning against the tub for support. The bottom of the tub is lined with grainy black water. The tealights are buckled and soot blackened. A few remnants of scorched towel remain, but the room is otherwise empty and relatively unscathed.
I’m glad.
Even though he lied to me, I don’t want to hurt Cash.
I feel the pressure of unshed tears at the bridge of my nose and pinch the skin between my thumb and forefinger. It doesn’t go away, but it does at least jolt me back to the present. I can’t stay here. If a member of staff discovers me here, I’ll be arrested for attempted arson for sure, with no guarantee that Cash will drop the charges.
I can’t have my babies in jail.
My thoughts are spiraling out of control, so I go to the basin, ignore my bruised, hollow-eyed reflection, and splash my face with cold water. I reach blindly for the remaining towel on the rail, and startle when someone places it in my hand.
“I thought I might find you here.”
I recognize her face from George’s social media accounts.
Isabella Leone.
I dab my face dry and hold the towel to my chest as if it might offer me protection. “What do you want?”
I glance at the doorway. Is George with her? I’d assumed that Terry might find him when I set the alarm off, that they’d escort him from the premises and ban him from returning. Now it occurs to me that I might’ve got it all wrong. What if he convinced them that it was an accident? A pile of tealight candles and a smoking towel in the tub—would they believe him?
My stomach sinks when I remember that money and connections can buy a way out of any situation.
“I just want to talk.” Isabella doesn’t come any closer.
“I’m done talking to you and George.” I place the towel in the basin and face her squarely.
