The next morning, bright sunlight poured through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating the intricate patterns of the handmade Persian rug in the living room. It was a stark, mocking contrast to the suffocating gloom of the previous night.

Audra sat on the velvet sofa like a hollow wooden puppet. Her posture was rigid, her hands folded neatly in her lap. The massive flat-screen television in front of her was playing the morning financial news at a low volume.

Marla, the head maid, walked over carrying a silver tray with a bowl of warm oatmeal. Her eyes were sharp, constantly darting toward Audra, monitoring her every breath.

On the television, the news anchor's voice suddenly rose in pitch, filled with manufactured excitement. "Breaking news from Silicon Valley. Tech billionaire Eben Gill is officially off the market. The elusive CEO is set to announce his engagement tonight."

The screen cut to a high-definition, full-screen photograph of a couple.

Audra's dead eyes drifted lazily toward the screen. The moment the image registered in her brain, her pupils dilated. Her breathing stopped entirely.

She shot up from the sofa. The sudden, violent movement caused her knee to slam hard into the heavy brass coffee table.

The coffee cup on the table tipped over. It shattered against the floor. Dark, scalding liquid splashed across her bare calves and stained the expensive rug.

Marla let out a sharp gasp. She dropped the tray and lunged forward, her hands reaching out to grab Audra's shoulders and force her back down.

Audra violently slapped Marla's hands away. She didn't feel the burning coffee on her legs. Her eyes were locked onto the face of the man on the television screen.

Those deep amber eyes. The sharp, arrogant angle of his jaw. The exact curve of his nose. It was identical to the man who had plummeted into the freezing river three years ago.

A bright red banner scrolled across the bottom of the screen: Eben Gill and Burke heiress Corie to host charity engagement gala tonight at The Plaza.

Audra's heart began to hammer against her ribs with terrifying speed. A loud, rushing noise filled her ears. Her chest he heave as she dragged air into her lungs.

"Impossible," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He died..."

Her trembling fingers reached out toward the screen, as if she could physically touch the pixels forming his face.

A violent surge of adrenaline flooded her veins, shattering the numbness that had paralyzed her for three years. She had to go there. She had to see him with her own eyes. Even if it was just a man who looked exactly like him, she had to know.

Audra spun around and sprinted toward the massive front doors of the estate.

Two broad-shouldered men in black suits stepped out from the shadows, instantly blocking her path.

"Mr. Hopper gave strict orders. You are not to step a single foot outside these doors," the guard on the left stated, his face a wall of stone.

Audra ground her teeth together. She didn't fight them. She took a step back, her eyes darting toward the French doors leading to the back gardens.

She turned and walked back toward the hallway, feigning defeat. She slipped into her bedroom and quickly stripped off her stained silk pajamas. She pulled on a thin silk dress and a plain, black trench coat, her hands shaking so badly she could barely manage the buttons.

She waited.

At exactly ten o'clock, the security guards rotated shifts, and Marla went to the kitchen to consult with the chef.

Audra slipped into the small, narrow guest bathroom on the first floor. She climbed onto the toilet seat and pushed open the tiny ventilation window.

She squeezed her shoulders through the tight frame. The window overlooked a dense patch of rose bushes. She fell forward, crashing into the thick branches. Sharp thorns sliced through the fabric of her coat, tearing deep, bleeding scratches into her arms and cheeks.

She ignored the stinging pain. She scrambled to her feet, keeping her body low, using the bushes to hide from the security cameras. She ran toward the rusted side gate at the far edge of the property.

The heavy iron padlock on the gate was old and loose. Audra dropped to her knees. She grabbed a heavy, jagged landscaping rock from the dirt. She raised it high and smashed it down against the padlock with all her strength.

Clang.

The metal groaned. She hit it again, her knuckles scraping against the iron, peeling the skin away.

Clang.

The lock snapped open and fell into the dirt. Audra shoved the heavy iron gate open and stumbled out onto the empty suburban road.

A beaten-up pickup truck was rumbling down the street, having just delivered supplies to a neighboring estate. Audra ran into the middle of the road, waving her bleeding arms frantically.

The truck screeched to a halt. The driver rolled down the window, looking at her in shock.

Audra didn't speak. She unclasped the heavy diamond bracelet from her wrist-the only piece of jewelry Anderson forced her to wear-and shoved it through the open window into the driver's lap.

"The Plaza. Manhattan. Now," she gasped, pulling the passenger door open and climbing inside.

The truck rattled as it sped through the darkening streets of the city. The neon lights of Manhattan flashed across Audra's pale, scratched face, illuminating the absolute, reckless desperation in her eyes.

The truck finally jerked to a stop across the street from The Plaza. The entrance was a sea of flashing cameras, red velvet ropes, and luxury cars.

Audra pushed the heavy truck door open. The biting Manhattan wind whipped her tangled hair across her face.

She pulled the black trench coat tightly around her shivering body. Her eyes were fixed on the brilliantly lit entrance of the hotel. She stepped off the curb, walking straight toward the chaos.

Audra stood on the sidewalk outside the revolving glass doors of The Plaza. She looked down at the tips of her shoes, caked in wet mud from the rose bushes.

She sucked in a sharp breath of freezing air. A group of wealthy socialites in floor-length gowns approached the entrance, flashing their gold-embossed invitations at the security guards.

Audra lowered her head, pulling the collar of her trench coat up to hide her scratched face. She pressed herself closely against the group, slipping through the heavy glass doors while the guards were distracted by the women's loud laughter.

She walked quickly down the opulent, gold-leafed corridor. She reached the massive, carved wooden doors of the main ballroom and pushed them open with both hands.

The heat and noise of the room hit her instantly. Beneath a sprawling crystal chandelier, a live orchestra played a smooth waltz. Waiters carried towering trays of champagne. The light reflected off the diamonds on the guests' necks, a blinding contrast to the dirt and blood on Audra's hands.

Her eyes scanned the crowded room with frantic, desperate speed.

Then, she stopped breathing.

In the center of the room, surrounded by a circle of admiring investors, stood a man in a custom Tom Ford tuxedo. He was facing away from her, his posture rigid and commanding as he raised a glass.

Audra shoved her way through the crowd. She didn't care who she hit. Her shoulder slammed hard into a waiter.

The silver tray flipped. Crystal champagne flutes crashed against the marble floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces. The sharp noise cut through the music.

The man in the tuxedo paused. Slowly, he turned around.

The moment their eyes met, Audra's lungs stopped working. Hot tears instantly spilled over her lower lashes, blurring her vision.

It was him. The exact way the corner of his mouth tightened, and the faint, almost invisible old scar just behind his left ear. It was the face that had haunted her every waking moment.

"Kendall..." she choked out. Her voice was a broken rasp.

She stumbled forward, her muddy shoes slipping on the spilled champagne. She reached out her bleeding hand, desperate to grab the dark fabric of his sleeve.

Before her fingers could brush his suit, a massive bodyguard materialized from the shadows. He grabbed Audra by the shoulder and shoved her backward with brutal force.

Audra lost her footing. She crashed hard onto the marble floor. The jagged shards of broken champagne glasses sliced deep into the palms of her hands.

She ignored the blood pooling beneath her fingers. She looked up at him.

The man stared down at her. His amber eyes were completely devoid of warmth. He looked at her the way one might look at a rotting animal on the side of the road. There was no recognition. No flicker of the past.

"Ma'am, you have the wrong person," he said. His voice was deep, smooth, and entirely foreign. It held only cold annoyance.

A woman in a stunning, backless emerald gown stepped into view. Corie Burke wrapped her slender arm intimately around the man's waist. She looked down at Audra with a mixture of pity and disgust.

"Eben, what is going on? Who is this?" Corie asked, her voice sweet and concerned.

Eben placed his large hand over Corie's waist, pulling her closer. The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a cruel, mocking smirk.

"Just some crazy woman whose mind has snapped. Ignore her," he stated loudly, ensuring the surrounding guests heard every word.

The words sliced through Audra's chest like a rusty blade. She shook her head frantically, her tears dripping onto the marble. "No... you're Kendall. I know it's you..."

Gus Nowak, the hotel's head of security, rushed over with three large men in suits. They grabbed Audra by the arms, hauling her roughly to her feet.

"Throw her out. Don't let her ruin the evening," Eben commanded, his tone absolute ice.

Audra kicked and struggled against the guards. She kept her eyes locked on his face, but Eben had already turned away. He was gently tucking a stray piece of hair behind Corie's ear, completely ignoring Audra's screams.

The guards dragged her backward through the ballroom, down the long corridor, and out the back service exit.

They threw her onto the freezing asphalt of the dark alley behind the hotel.

Audra's knees slammed into the hard ground, tearing the skin. Blood trickled down her shins. She lay there on the cold pavement, her body shaking uncontrollably from the cold and the devastating heartbreak.

Suddenly, the low purr of a heavy engine filled the alley. A black stretch Lincoln limousine rolled silently through the shadows and stopped inches from where she lay.

The rear door swung open.

Two massive men stepped out. Before Audra could scream, they grabbed her by the armpits, lifting her off the ground.

They shoved her violently into the dark, cavernous backseat of the limousine.

Audra tumbled onto the plush carpet. The heavy door slammed shut behind her, instantly cutting off the sounds of the city.

The air inside the car was thick. It smelled sharply of cedarwood and cold mint.

Audra scrambled backward against the leather seat, her heart pounding in her throat. She looked up.

Sitting across from her in the dim light was Eben. His long legs were crossed casually. In his right hand, he slowly flipped open and closed a heavy silver lighter.

The tiny flame illuminated his face. The mask of the polite stranger was gone. His eyes were burning with a raw, bloodthirsty hatred.

The black Lincoln tore through the empty streets of New York, the engine a low, menacing hum. Inside the cabin, the air pressure was so heavy it felt like a physical weight pressing down on Audra's chest.

She pressed herself deeply into the corner of the leather seat. Her entire body trembled. She stared at the man sitting across from her, desperately searching the harsh lines of his face for any trace of the warmth she used to know.

Eben snapped the silver lighter shut. The sharp click echoed like a gunshot in the quiet car. He leaned forward suddenly, his large hand shooting out to grip her chin.

His fingers dug painfully into her jawbone. "What's the matter?" he sneered, his voice dripping with venom. "Is Anderson Hopper not satisfying you enough? Is that why you're running around the city acting like a lunatic?"

Audra winced, a sharp pain shooting through her face. Tears welled up, spilling over his knuckles. "Kendall, please. You have to listen to me. Back then, I was-"

The moment she said his name, a flash of pure, unadulterated violence crossed Eben's eyes. His grip on her jaw tightened until she felt her bones grinding together.

"Shut your mouth!" he roared, his voice vibrating with rage. "That idiot died three years ago, and you were the one who put him in the grave!"

The limousine slammed on its brakes.

The massive force of the sudden stop threw Audra forward. She crashed hard against the wooden partition separating them from the driver, her shoulder taking the brunt of the impact.

The automatic door slid open. The freezing night wind, thick with the smell of the Hudson River, ripped into the cabin.

Eben grabbed the collar of her black trench coat in a white-knuckled fist. He dragged her out of the car, his movements rough and completely devoid of mercy.

Audra stumbled over her own feet as her shoes hit the wet pavement. She forced her head up, looking around. Her pupils shrank to tiny pinpricks.

They were standing on the edge of an abandoned industrial iron bridge spanning the dark waters of the Hudson River. Right in front of them, a massive section of the rusted iron railing was missing, leaving a gaping hole that looked like the open mouth of a monster.

Below them, the black, churning waters of the river smashed against the concrete pillars with a deafening roar.

It was the exact spot. The exact place the transport van had gone over.

A wave of pure, paralyzing terror swallowed Audra whole. Her PTSD triggered instantly. Her chest tightened so severely she couldn't pull in a single breath. She began to hyperventilate, her mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish.

Eben didn't care. He kept his iron grip on her wrist and dragged her relentlessly toward the jagged edge of the broken concrete.

Audra's toes slipped over the edge. Half of her foot was suspended over the deadly drop. One wrong move, and she would fall.

She let out a blood-curdling scream. She twisted her body, throwing her arms around Eben's solid bicep. Her broken, bleeding fingernails dug frantically into the expensive fabric of his suit jacket, clinging to him for dear life.

"Scared?" Eben's voice was colder than the wind whipping around them. "Were you scared when you sent me over this edge three years ago?"

He stepped up right behind her. His chest pressed hard against her back. He wrapped one thick arm tightly around her waist, locking her in place. With his other hand, he grabbed the back of her neck, forcing her head down to look at the black water swirling far below.

"Do you know what it feels like when the water fills your lungs?" he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. Every word was a razor blade slicing into her sanity. "Do you know what it feels like to wait to die in the freezing dark?"

Audra's legs gave out completely. If he wasn't holding her, she would have collapsed. She shook her head wildly, sobbing so hard she choked on her own saliva. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Eben let out a dark, cruel laugh.

He suddenly released the arm holding her waist.

Audra's center of gravity shifted forward. The sickening sensation of weightlessness hit her stomach. She was falling. She screamed, a raw, primal sound of absolute despair.

In the fraction of a second before she tipped over the edge, Eben's large hand clamped down on her upper arm. He yanked her backward with brutal force, throwing her away from the ledge.

Audra collapsed onto the damp concrete. She curled onto her side, clutching her chest, and began to dry heave violently. Her stomach cramped, trying to expel the sheer terror that had consumed her.

Eben stood tall, looking down at her pathetic, trembling form. There was no pity in his amber eyes. Only the dark satisfaction of revenge.

"This is just a fraction of the interest you owe me, Audra Hill," he said coldly. He pulled a crisp silk handkerchief from his pocket, wiped the fingers that had touched her coat, and dropped the fabric onto her face in disgust.

"I am going to make you feel a hundred times the despair I felt. This is only the beginning."

Eben turned his back on her. He walked toward the waiting Lincoln, pulling the door open, leaving Audra alone in the dark, shivering on the edge of the abyss.