My best friend, Maya, flew in from Miami for my bachelorette week. My last days of freedom.

She insisted on a girls' night in to celebrate, ordering all my favorite takeout.

She asked me to hold her mobile phone and wait.Then her phone lit up. A message from some guy. A shirtless pic. Text: I need you tonight.

Another photo buzzed through. Sex toys. Bondage gear straight out of a movie.

My face burned. My heart hammered against my ribs. I’d just stumbled into her secret life.

But the next image made my blood run cold.

A close-up of the man's chest. A jagged scar I knew better than my own reflection.

It belonged to my fiancé, Luciano Carbone.

My fiancé, Don Luciano Carbone, and my best friend, Maya, never got along. They fought every time they met. But just before my wedding, I found out they’d been sleeping together for a long time.

Today, Maya flew in from Miami for my last week of freedom.

She’d chopped her hair. Short, black, and rebellious.

Leather jacket, ripped jeans, and the same old pair of Doc Martens.

She was an anarchist in my world of etiquette and order. But she was my best friend.

We ordered takeout on her phone, ready for a girls' night in.

But when she went to shower, her phone buzzed on the couch. The screen lit up.

I glanced over, thinking it was the food delivery notification.

"Catherine, can you see who it is?" Maya called out.

But it wasn't a delivery app on the screen.

It was a text.

From: King of Spades

[Game on. My weapon's ready for you tonight.]

My hand froze over the screen.

That nickname… Fucking weird.

But what was weirder? The contact was pinned to the top.

The phone buzzed again.

This time, it was a picture.

I shouldn’t look. This was Maya’s business.

But my eyes were already locked on the screen.

The photo showed a set of black lace lingerie. So sheer it was almost transparent.

Next to it… My face burned. Things I’d only seen in movies. Bondage gear.

My heart pounded. Maya was into…

Then I noticed the background of the photo.

A man's chest. Hard, tanned skin. And a scar.

A jagged scar, like a lightning bolt. It ran from his left shoulder down toward his heart.

My hands started to shake.

I knew that scar. I’d seen it a thousand times.

I’d traced it with my fingertips in our most intimate moments. Luciano said he got it in a shootout. Said it almost killed him.

No.

It couldn’t be.

I had to be wrong. There were a lot of men in New York, a lot of scars…

The phone slipped from my grasp, landing softly on the rug.

I stared at it, my heart about to explode.

This couldn’t be real.

Maya was my best friend. Luciano was my fiancé.

They couldn't stand each other.

Maya thought Luciano was too dangerous for me. Luciano thought Maya was a bad influence…

I practically had to chain them to their chairs just to get through one dinner. It only happened once.

I snatched the phone and quickly dialed Luciano’s number.

A video call connected.

"Baby." Luciano's face appeared, handsome as ever, his dark hair a little messy. "Miss me already?"

"Where are you?" I tried to keep my voice steady.

"Handling some business. Boring stuff." He frowned. "You don't look so good. What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just…" I took a deep breath. "Can you come over tonight?"

"Of course. Give me an hour." His gaze softened. "Catherine, you sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure."

But I wasn't. That scar…

"By the way," Luciano said suddenly. "Maya's back, right?"

"Yeah, she's in the shower."

His expression turned serious. "Catherine, I've told you a hundred times. She's bad news. She's a bad influence."

"Luciano—"

"I'm serious," he cut me off. "She's from the gutter, Catherine. Violence, drugs... that's her world. Not yours."

I remembered high school.

An alley after school. Three punks had me cornered.

Maya showed up, swinging a bike chain. Her eyes were cold enough to kill.

That was the first time I saw real violence. That was the day I fell in love with the wild, untamable fire in her.

"She saved my life," I said softly.

"That was a long time ago." Luciano's voice grew gentle again. "You have me to protect you now. You don't need friends like her."

I nodded, but the knot in my stomach only tightened.

"I love you," he said. "See you in an hour."

The call ended.

I sat on the couch, staring at Maya's phone.

Maybe I was overthinking it. Maybe the scar was just a coincidence. Maybe—

The water in the bathroom shut off. Maya would be out any second.

I put the phone back where I found it, pretending nothing had happened.

But the image was burned into my mind. The black lace. The bondage gear. And that lightning-bolt scar.

I walked out to the terrace for some air, trying to clear my head.

The wedding was in one week.

I was about to marry the most powerful man in New York.

My best friend flew in from Miami to be with me.

Everything was supposed to be perfect.

So why did I feel the ground cracking open right under me?

I heard footsteps behind me. A hand touched my shoulder.

"Catherine."

I turned.

Maya stood in the doorway, but she wasn't the girl in the leather jacket anymore.

She’d changed into a black leather dress. Skin-tight. The V-neck plunged almost to her navel. The hem was dangerously high on her thighs.

This wasn't the Maya I knew.

"You… changed," I stammered.

"What? You don't like it?" She did a little spin, the leather skirt riding up even higher. "Thought I'd try a new look."

My eyes were glued to her.

Her body… I’d never noticed how sexy she was.

"It's… different."

"Catherine, for the last time, don't marry him."

Her words were like a splash of cold water.

"What?"

"Luciano Carbone is too dangerous." Maya walked toward me, her heels clicking sharply on the floor. "He’s killed people, Catherine. A lot of them."

"That's not news." I took a step back. "I know who he is. I know what his family does."

"You don't know shit," she hissed, her fingers digging into my arm like claws. "You watch movies and think you know the life? The reality is a thousand times uglier."

I shook her hand off. "We've had this conversation a million times. You fight with Luciano every time you see him."

Maya's face hardened.

She turned away, pissed at my reaction.

"May, wait." I went after her. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry... I know you're just worried about me. And I worry about you, too."

I bit my lip, then asked the question that was eating at me. "Are you seeing someone?"

Her whole body went stiff.

"Why do you ask?"

"No reason, just… a woman's intuition." I tried to sound casual. "If you are, I just hope you're being careful. Stay safe."

Maya spun around to face me, her green eyes burning with fury.

"Stay safe?" she repeated, as if the word was poison.

"I mean… if he's into... rougher stuff. You have to be safe."

"Rougher stuff?" Her voice got colder. "Like what?"

My face flushed. "You know what I mean."

Maya suddenly laughed, but the sound sent a chill down my spine.

"Catherine Sterling, the little princess." She stalked toward me. "You think I need your advice? You think I don't know how to handle a man?"

"I didn't—"

"Yes, you did!" she exploded. "Always the fucking saint, aren't you? St. Catherine, looking down on me from your ivory tower. Am I your pet project? Your charity case?"

"May, I never—"

"You can't stand it when I have something you don't, can you? A little fun, a little danger." Her eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

"I'm just worried about you!"

"Worried?" Maya sneered. "Catherine, you don't know the first thing about living. Your world is all pink roses and diamond engagement rings. Real passion, real danger—you wouldn't dare touch it."

Her words cut like a knife.

"I'm leaving."

"May, please—"

"Don't call me May!" she yelled. "I'm sick of your fake sympathy!"

"Maya!" I ran after her. "Don't be like this!"

But she was already out the door.

I heard the elevator doors open, then close.

Then, the roar of an engine.

Her Harley.

I rushed to the window and saw Maya tear into the night on that black beast.

Where was she going?

I remembered her mentioning it once. When she was upset, she’d go to an underground street racing club. In the industrial district in Brooklyn.

That kind of place… it was dangerous.

Especially for a woman dressed like that.

I grabbed my keys and ran out of the apartment.

Maya was my best friend.

Even though we just fought, even though she said all those hurtful things.

She saved my life.

Now, it was my turn to pull her back from the fire.

I texted Luciano that Maya had disappeared and I was worried.

Then, I found the club. I pushed open the heavy steel door and was hit by a wave of heat. Sweat, booze, and something else.

I scanned the crowd, searching for her.

Then I saw it. Her Harley, parked in a corner.

But Maya wasn't on it.

I pushed through the bodies, looking for her.

The music was so loud I could barely hear my own heartbeat.

And then I saw them.

In a dark corner, two figures tangled together.

Maya was slammed against the bike, her dress hiked high up her thighs, a man's hands all over her.

They were kissing wildly. The man spoke between kisses, his voice a low growl. "How’d you ditch Catherine to come see me?"

Maya, breathing heavily, kissed him back and laughed. "I just had to throw a little fit. The good little princess is probably at home right now, wringing her hands, worried sick about me."

My world stopped. The air left my lungs. My nails dug into my palms.

My fiancé. My best friend. Tangled together like animals.

Tears streamed down my face. I couldn't stop them.

I came to this shithole because I was worried about her. I was afraid someone would hurt her. But she was the one betraying me.

The thought ripped my heart to shreds.

Luciano's hands were still all over Maya, his lips on her neck.

In the next second, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into a VIP room behind them.

I could imagine exactly what they were about to do.

Use that bondage gear. Have wild, rough sex like the most intimate of lovers.

I remembered what Luciano once told me. "I hate betrayal more than anything. My mother betrayed the family, betrayed my father. So she died. I will never make the same mistake."

I remembered his loving gaze. "Catherine, you're my light. The only pure thing in my dark world."

I remembered him holding me tight at night. "I'll protect you. Always."

Even though our worlds were miles apart, I was willing to embrace his.

When Luciano proposed, my parents were dead set against it.

"His family is too dangerous, baby. You're our princess. We don't want you to get hurt."

But I said yes anyway. Without a second thought.

He built a castle for me. An estate full of white roses, just because I love them.

He fired loyal men just because they muttered that I was a useless good girl, a warning to anyone who disrespected me.

He got shot in an attack from a rival family right before my birthday, but he dragged himself out of bed, bleeding through his bandages, and stood over his personal chef all night to make sure my birthday cake was perfect.

I cried as I ate it, telling him he was crazy for doing all this for me.

He just said, "Catherine, you're my most precious gift. My princess. Anything I do for you is worth it."

Every single memory was a new knife twisting in my heart.

How could I have been so stupid?

I thought my love could save him. Thought my light could warm his darkness.

I wasn’t his light. I was just a prop in their twisted game.

Before I knew it, I had walked closer. I could see the shadows moving in the VIP room through a small glass panel.

I turned to run, but my phone vibrated.

The ringtone was so loud in the middle of all this noise.

I looked down.

Caller ID: Luciano

My hands started shaking.

Through the glass, I could see Luciano inside the room, still kissing Maya, lost in their passion.

But his phone was calling me.

Whose sick idea was this? Maya’s? His?

With a trembling finger, I answered.

"Baby."

Luciano's gentle voice came through the phone, just like every night when he'd call to say goodnight.

"Thinking of me? I was busy, couldn't text you back."

I opened my mouth, a tremor running through me, but no words came out.

And I heard a sound from the room in front of me.

A woman’s voice. Hoarse, sexy, familiar.

Maya’s unmistakable moans.

"Ah... harder..."

Luciano covered her mouth, he was worried that the voice would reach the phone..

"Catherine? Baby, are you there? I saw your text. Don't worry about her, she knows her way around. Right now, you just need to eat something good and be happy. You're going to be my wife soon, you know that?"

Luciano's voice was still so gentle, so caring.

My knuckles turned white. I squeezed the phone so hard I thought the plastic would crack.

Tears blurred my vision.

Maya was grabbing his hair, her eyes squeezed shut, enjoying every second.

"Catherine, you're not talking. You're worrying me."

The Luciano on the phone kept acting. "You know I love you, right?"

Love me?

Is this what love is? Fucking my best friend while I watch?

Does a man who loves me call me while he's inside another woman?

"I miss you," his voice grew even softer. "I'll come find you as soon as I'm done here."

Done?

Done fucking my best friend while you have me on the other line?

I wanted to hang up.

I wanted to smash this goddamn phone.

But I was frozen to the spot, like I was cursed.

"Luciano…" I finally found my voice.

"Yeah? Baby?"

"Did you..." My voice was shaking. "Did you ever really love me?"