Chapter 2

Boyd dumped me on the living room floor.

My back hit the leg of the table, and my phone slid under the couch.

He stood in the doorway, watching me.

"Until Violet's renewal is done, you don't go anywhere."

I braced against the table leg and pushed myself up.

"I'm going to go blind."

"Still not done with the act?"

He locked the door from the outside.

"The day you admit you were wrong is the day I let you out."

The car pulled away and faded into the distance.

I felt along the wall to the bedroom. Less than half the vision in my right eye was left.

With every step, the dark spread wider.

I dug the backup phone out of the bottom drawer.

It didn't have the tracking app Boyd had installed on my other one.

I texted Alberta Fox.

"Lend me eighty thousand, wire it straight to the hospital account, then call me an ambulance."

The message went through.

Alberta called right away.

"Where are you? Did Boyd touch your money?"

"Don't ask. Just call the ambulance first."

"I'm on it."

She hung up and sent a screenshot of the transfer.

The bank page was still loading when Boyd's call cut in.

The backup phone only had one old SIM in it.

The moment the call connected, the network dropped.

I ended it.

He called again.

The ringing didn't stop.

I put it on speaker and set it on the table.

"Say what you have to say."

"Alberta can't save you."

Violet's voice came from beside him.

"Boyd, don't do this to Davina."

He ignored her.

"I just notified the Fox family's business partners. Anyone who dares give you money, the Donaldsons pull their projects."

"The transfer from Alberta's account, I already had the bank reverse it."

Alberta texted.

"I'm bringing cash. Wait for me."

I sent her the address.

The message tried and tried and never went through.

Boyd laughed on the phone.

"Still looking for someone to back you up?"

"You steal the money that would save my life, and you've got the nerve to laugh?"

His breathing turned heavy.

"That was money I gave you."

"I chose to use it to save Violet's shop. You don't get a say."

"The card's in my name. That money was mine before we married."

"You married into the Donaldsons. Since when is there yours and mine?"

He tapped the phone.

"Besides, those junk paintings of yours, how much are they even worth?"

I pulled up the emergency call screen.

He spoke again.

"Building management already has my orders."

"No one gets into the villa unless I say so."

"If Alberta shows up, I'll have security throw her out."

I dialed the emergency line.

The phone was down to three percent.

The call hadn't connected before the screen went dark.

I found the charging cable.

The plug knocked against the edge of the outlet, over and over.

The vision in my right eye had shrunk to a single point of light in the center.

Pounding came from the door.

"Davina, are you in there?"

It was Alberta.

I steadied myself against the wall and moved toward the door.

"Alberta, I'm here."

But a guard's shout answered from outside.

"Mr. Donaldson gave orders. No one is allowed in."

"Get out of the way, she needs surgery."

"Ms. Fox, if you force your way in again, we'll have no choice but to call the police."

The footsteps and the arguing slowly faded away.

My hand pressed flat against the door.

The point of light in my right eye began to close in.

The phone rang again.

Boyd had sent a voice message.

"Stop making trouble."

"Is admitting you were wrong really that hard?"

I reached up and deleted the message.

The next second, the last of the light in my right eye was gone.