Chapter 3

"Vesper—"

His voice cracked, just barely.

I walked to the bedroom and lay down.

He followed. Sat on the edge of the bed.

"I promise it won't happen again. Please don't shut me out — okay?"

I pulled my hand out of his and closed my eyes.

"I'm tired."

He went quiet.

A long time passed.

Then I heard him stand. Careful footsteps across the floor.

He turned off the light and gently closed the door.

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling.

Tears ran sideways into my hair.

After that, I stopped letting him anywhere near my prep.

Nyx's team handled everything.

Dorian didn't push. He just — lingered.

Hovering at the edge of makeup room I was in, watching from a distance.

When I accidentally caught his eye, he'd drop his head and walk away.

Without him, my skin healed fast. Visibly, almost by the day.

Within a few weeks, it was down to a faint redness. Easy to cover.

My doctor said I was ninety percent recovered.

And on the red carpets, I started trending again.

Three years ago, I'd already been pulling ahead of Odette. Three years later, my face could still hold its own against hers.

I don't play the comparison game. It's not my style.

But Odette and Dorian came at me first.

They wanted to ruin my face and hand her the crown.

Fine.

The Vanity Fair after-party — Hollywood's unofficial power gathering — was in three days.

I was going to remind Odette exactly why she was afraid of me three years ago.