Chapter 3

Hailey's POV

The next morning, I showed up at Claire's studio on time.

"Hailey, Eric asked you to help me." Claire sat on the sofa, her smile innocent and sweet. "I just got back, and there's so much I don't know. I'll be in your care."

I took the files she handed over with a blank face. "What do you need me to do, Miss Bennett?"

"Could you grab me a coffee? I want the hand-drip coffee from that artisanal shop in Brooklyn. No sugar, no milk," Claire said.

Brooklyn was easily an hour's drive from Manhattan. With traffic, a round trip would take at least two hours.

"Sure," I said, turning on my heel.

By the time I returned with the coffee, Eric was already there.

He was sitting on the sofa, whispering something to Claire, his face softening with a tenderness I had never seen before.

Hearing the door open, Eric looked up. Seeing me drenched in sweat, holding the coffee cup, his brows furrowed instantly.

"Where have you been?"

"Getting coffee for Miss Bennett." I walked over and placed the cup on the table.

Eric's face darkened.

But suddenly, Claire let out a sharp gasp.

"Ah!"

Claire reached for the coffee, but "accidentally" knocked the cup over. The scalding hot coffee splashed all over the back of her hand, turning her skin red instantly.

"Claire!" Eric's face paled. He grabbed her hand, his eyes wild with worry.

He whipped his head around, glaring at me like a beast. "What the hell is wrong with you? You can't even set a coffee cup down properly? Did you burn her on purpose?"

I stood there, watching Eric's furious expression. It was almost funny.

Claire had clearly knocked it over herself, yet he didn't even bother to ask before convicting me.

"I didn't," I replied flatly.

"How dare you lie!" Eric slammed his fist on the table, standing up and pointing at me. "Apologize to Claire. Now!"

I looked at him, my eyes devoid of any warmth.

"I'm sorry, Miss Bennett," I said, bowing my head slightly, my voice completely robotic.

Eric gritted his teeth, grabbed my wrist roughly, and dragged me out of the office and into the fire stairwell.

With a loud thud, he pinned me against the concrete wall.

"Hailey! Where is your pride? You used to be so stubborn! Why are you acting like a desperate dog now?"

My back throbbed from the impact, but I didn't even flinch.

I looked straight into Eric's face, which was distorted by anger. My calmness was almost terrifying.

"Eric, didn't you make me her assistant? An assistant apologizing to the client is just business."

"You!" Eric was choked by my words.

He stared into my eyes, his grip tightening.

"Hailey, do you think as long as you play nice, I will actually marry you?" Eric sneered. He suddenly bent down and bit my lips violently.

It was a kiss stripped of any affection, filled only with punishment and rage.

I didn't struggle, nor did I respond. I let him vent like a lifeless doll.

Tasting blood, Eric pushed me away, his eyes dark. "Let me tell you something. Even if we get married, you will never compare to a single hair on Claire's head!"

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and nodded slightly. "I know. There are twenty-eight days left until the wedding. Don't forget to try on your tux, Mr. Carter."

With that, I pushed open the heavy door and walked away without looking back.

Claire's comeback show was heavily publicized.

As her assistant, I did all the grunt work.

One afternoon, Claire came to me with a sketch, her face twisted in disgust.

"Hailey, is this the garbage you drew? How dare you show this to me? Are you trying to ruin my show on purpose?"

I glanced at the sketch. It was the final draft I had stayed up for three days to revise, following her feedback fifteen times.

"Miss Bennett, this is the fifteenth draft, modified exactly according to your instructions."

"I don't care! It's trash!" Claire snatched the paper and tore it to shreds right in front of me. "Redo it! If you don't finish it tonight, you're not going home!"

I stared at the shredded paper on the floor. After a moment of silence, I knelt down to pick them up.

As I did, a photo fell out from between the sheets.

It was a photo I always kept close to my heart. It showed the back of a man wearing a white shirt, with sunlight spilling over his shoulders, looking warm and bright.

It was Julian.

My pupils dilated, and I lunged to grab it.

But Claire was faster.

Her high heel came down hard, grinding right onto the photo, puncturing a hole through Julian's back.

"Oh, oops. I didn't see that," Claire said, covering her mouth with a smug giggle.

My mind went entirely blank. My sanity snapped.

I shoved Claire away with all my might. She stumbled, and I threw myself onto the floor, carefully cradling the ruined photo in my hands.

The hole in Julian's back was torn open. It could never be fixed.

"What are you doing?!" Claire screamed as she fell onto the sofa.

The office door was slammed open. Eric rushed in and immediately helped Claire up.

"Hailey, have you lost your mind?!" Eric roared.

I knelt on the floor, my entire body shaking. I stared at the photo, my eyes bloodshot, tears heavy as lead dropping onto the ruined paper.

This was the only proof I had left in this world that Julian Vance had ever existed.

And now, it was ruined.