Kaia clutched the thick manila envelope containing the divorce agreement tightly against her chest. She walked out of the law firm and into the cold air.

She got into the car. "Back to the penthouse."

When she walked into the apartment, she placed the manila envelope dead center on the glass coffee table.

She pulled out her phone and dialed Gerrit's private number. It rang six times before he finally answered.

"What?" Gerrit's voice was ice cold. In the background, Kaia could clearly hear a woman's soft, breathy laugh.

A sharp pain pierced her chest. She forced her throat to relax. "Come home tonight. I have important documents you need to sign."

"Seraphina just got back to New York, and she is emotionally unstable," Gerrit snapped. "Do not play any of your manipulative tricks to hurt her. I am warning you."

Before Kaia could say another word, the line went dead. The dial tone buzzed in her ear.

She dropped the phone on the sofa. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to force down the nausea rising in her throat.

A loud beep echoed through the room. The electronic lock on the front door was opening.

Kaia snapped her eyes open. Seraphina walked in, her high heels clicking loudly against the marble. She looked around the penthouse, her eyes full of arrogant entitlement.

Kaia stood up. "How do you have the passcode to this apartment?"

Seraphina smiled, a sickly sweet expression. "I told the new concierge Gerrit sent me to retrieve his emergency files, and slipped him a few hundred bills. He was more than happy to give me the temporary access code."

Kaia's face lost a fraction of its color. She pointed a shaking finger at the door. "Get out of my house. Now."

Seraphina ignored her. She walked straight toward the coffee table. She reached her hand out to grab the manila envelope.

Kaia lunged forward. She slammed her hand down on top of the envelope. "Don't touch that."

Seraphina dramatically gasped. She put a hand over her chest. "You are so aggressive, Kaia. No wonder Gerrit can't stand you."

They stood frozen by the table. Seraphina's eyes darted toward the entryway.

The heavy front door swung open. Gerrit stepped into the foyer.

The moment Seraphina saw him, her face contorted into pure terror. She threw her body backward, stumbling away from the table as if Kaia had shoved her violently.

Seraphina screamed. She collapsed onto the thick carpet. Tears instantly flooded her eyes as she looked up at Gerrit.

Gerrit's face turned purple with rage. He sprinted across the living room.

Before Kaia could open her mouth to speak, Gerrit grabbed her by the shoulder. His grip was like a steel vise, digging into her collarbone.

"Are you out of your mind? !" Gerrit roared. "Why are you attacking her? !"

With a violent shove, he pushed Kaia backward.

Kaia's body, already weak and failing, flew backward. She lost her footing completely. Her lower back slammed directly into the sharp, pointed corner of the chrome-edged glass coffee table.

A sickening thud echoed in the room. The sharp metal bit viciously into her flesh, tearing a deep laceration. A white-hot agony exploded in her waist. She gasped for air, collapsing onto the floor.

Warm, wet blood instantly soaked through her white silk blouse, staining the fabric a deep, dark red. The pain was so intense black spots danced in her vision.

Gerrit didn't even look at her. He dropped to his knees, his eyes filled with absolute panic as he reached out to pull Seraphina into his arms.

Gerrit wrapped his arms around Seraphina, lifting her gently from the carpet. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice thick with panic.

Seraphina buried her face in his chest. She shook her head, putting on a brave face. "It's not Kaia's fault. I just lost my balance."

That sentence was gasoline on a fire. Gerrit snapped his head around. His eyes were dead and cold as he glared at Kaia, who was still crumpled on the floor.

"If she has a single scratch on her, I will make you pay for it," Gerrit snarled.

He kept his arm tightly around Seraphina's waist. He turned his back on Kaia and walked straight out the front door.

The heavy door clicked shut. The apartment fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

Kaia pressed her hand against her bleeding waist. Her entire body shook violently. Cold sweat dripped down her forehead, stinging her eyes.

She clamped her teeth together, tasting copper. She planted her hands flat on the blood-stained carpet and forced her arms to push her body up.

She dragged her feet across the floor, limping heavily toward the coffee table. She reached out with a trembling hand and straightened the manila envelope that had been knocked askew.

Every step toward the bathroom felt like walking on broken glass. The tearing sensation in her waist mixed with the deep, gnawing ache of the cancer in her abdomen.

She flipped on the harsh bathroom lights. She peeled off the ruined white blouse. A massive, dark purple bruise surrounded a deep, jagged gash on her side.

She opened the first aid kit. She soaked a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol and slammed it directly onto the open wound. She threw her head back and sucked in a sharp breath as the burning pain ripped through her nerves.

She wrapped thick white bandages tightly around her torso. She pulled a massive, oversized black silk robe over her shoulders, completely hiding the blood and the gauze.

Kaia walked out of the bathroom. She looked at the clock on the wall. She walked into the open kitchen.

She opened the stainless steel refrigerator. She pulled out fresh vegetables and a cut of prime steak. Her hands hovered over the marble counter, staring at the ingredients she had purchased to prepare Gerrit's favorite meal. This was the dinner she had planned to make last night to seal their three-month deal. Now, looking at the raw meat, a violent wave of nausea twisted her stomach. The memory of his cruel shove and Seraphina's mocking smile echoed in her mind. Her hands trembled as she grabbed the expensive steak and the organic vegetables, hurling them violently into the stainless steel trash can. There would be no dinner. It was a funeral for their marriage. The sterile, cold smell of the empty apartment surrounded her, doing nothing to mask the faint, metallic scent of blood lingering in the air.

She dragged herself to the dining table. She didn't strike a match; she simply sat in the freezing darkness. Kaia sat in the chair next to the head of the table. She stared at the empty, unlit silver candelabra. She waited as the sky outside turned pitch black.

The clock ticked endlessly. The silence in the room grew heavy and stiff. The cold air formed a chilling film over her bare skin. The night dragged on in total, unbroken misery.

Just before midnight, the front door unlocked. Gerrit walked in alone.

He took off his suit jacket. The heavy, sweet scent of Seraphina's perfume instantly flooded the room.

Kaia's stomach violently rejected the smell. Acid rose in her throat, but she swallowed it down.

Gerrit walked past the dining area. He stopped when he saw the empty table and Kaia sitting in the shadows.

He looked at her face. Her skin was a terrifying shade of gray, and her lips were completely white.

His eyebrows pulled together. "Are you sick?" he asked, the words slipping out automatically.

Kaia slowly lifted her eyes. She looked at him. "My stomach hurts."

The slight concern in Gerrit's eyes vanished instantly. He let out a harsh, mocking laugh. "Playing the victim now? Trying to use a stomachache to get out of what you did this afternoon?"

He didn't look at the food again. He walked straight past the table and down the hallway.

Kaia sat perfectly still. She listened to the sound of the shower turning on in the guest bathroom. She reached out and closed her eyes, plunging herself into total darkness.

Kaia stood up. She ignored the empty trash can where the food lay discarded. She dragged her exhausted, aching body down the hall and into the master bedroom.

She sat on the edge of the mattress. Before she could even lie down, the bedroom door was violently shoved open.

Gerrit stormed into the room. His skin was flushed from the hot water. He wore nothing but a white towel wrapped low around his waist. Water dripped from his wet hair onto his chest. His eyes burned with aggressive, dominating anger.

Kaia instinctively shrank back. Her hand flew to her side, pressing over the black silk robe to protect her injured waist.

Gerrit crossed the room in three massive strides. He stood over her, casting a dark shadow across the bed. "What exactly did you say to Seraphina this afternoon?"

Kaia turned her face away. "I didn't say anything. She came here on her own."

Gerrit reached down and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "You are a liar. She was crying the entire ride back to her apartment."

He leaned down. His warm breath hit her face, but his eyes were freezing cold. It was a look of pure punishment.

Suddenly, Gerrit reached out and grabbed the collar of her black silk robe. He yanked it hard, ripping the fabric open, exposing her collarbone.

Kaia gasped loudly. She thrashed backward, her hands desperately grabbing the torn silk to cover her stomach and the bandages hidden beneath.

Gerrit scoffed. "Don't act like you don't want this. Isn't this exactly why you pulled those pathetic stunts?"

He pushed her down onto the mattress. His heavy body pressed against hers, pinning her in place. He leaned in, his face inches from hers, aiming to press his mouth against her neck to establish dominance. But as his breath brushed her skin, he froze. His movements, initially rough and angry, halted abruptly. He saw the sheer terror and physical agony twisting her pale features. Disgust-both at her and perhaps a fraction at himself-flashed in his eyes. He stopped completely, refusing to cross that final line, completely devoid of any warmth or love.

A wave of absolute humiliation crashed over Kaia. Hot tears spilled from her eyes and soaked into her hair.

And then, the cancer woke up.

A pain so sharp, so agonizing it felt like a serrated knife twisting in her intestines, exploded in the center of her abdomen.

Kaia's entire body went rigid. A choked, guttural moan ripped out of her throat.

Her hands let go of the robe. Her fingers dug into the bedsheets, twisting the fabric until her knuckles turned bone-white.

Gerrit felt her body lock up beneath him. He pulled away completely. He pushed himself up on his forearms and looked down at her.

Kaia's face was the color of a corpse. Thick beads of cold sweat instantly popped out on her forehead. She couldn't pull air into her lungs. Her breathing came in short, broken gasps.

She forced her mouth open. "Pills," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "Drawer... please."

Gerrit stared at her twisted, agonizing expression. For a split second, doubt flickered in his eyes. But then, the image of Seraphina falling to the floor this afternoon flashed in his mind.

His face hardened into stone. He pushed himself off the bed and stood up, adjusting the towel around his waist.

He looked down at her curled up in a tight, trembling ball. "Your acting is pathetic, Kaia. This fake illness routine makes me sick."

Kaia couldn't even form the words to defend herself. The pain was eating her alive. She stared up at him, her eyes wide with disbelief and pure despair.

Gerrit didn't show a single ounce of mercy. He turned his back on her and walked toward the door.

"Have that dead look off your face by morning," he ordered. "Don't embarrass the Downs family."

He walked out. The heavy oak door slammed shut. The sound of his footsteps faded down the hallway until there was nothing but silence.

Kaia writhed on the massive bed. The pain was blinding. She rolled too far and crashed onto the floor.

She dragged her body across the carpet using her elbows. She reached the nightstand, pulled the drawer open, and grabbed the plastic bottle. Her shaking hands spilled pills everywhere. She shoved a handful into her mouth, swallowing them dry, and lay on the floor, waiting for the darkness to take her.