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?"

The other end of the line went dead silent.

The background noise stopped.

Through the glass, I saw Luciano freeze. His movements stopped. He pushed Maya away and looked around frantically.

"Catherine…" His voice changed. "Why would you ask that? Where… where are you?"

My heart was bleeding.

"Catherine, don't overthink things." Luciano’s voice was urgent. "The wedding is in a week. You're the only one I love. You know that."

The only one?

"I'm handling some urgent family business right now, baby," he continued, weaving his web of lies, his voice full of that tenderness I used to adore. "Go home and get some rest. I'll come find you when I'm done, okay? We have the final fitting for your dress tomorrow."

I remembered him telling me, "My princess deserves the most beautiful dress in the world."

It was all an act.

He could talk to me about wedding details while having sex with Maya, without even blushing.

What kind of acting skills did that take? What kind of cold-blooded heart?

"Okay."

My voice was surprisingly calm.

"I'll be waiting."

It was the last lie I would ever tell for him. I hung up before he could reply.

I'd heard enough of his voice. And Maya's.

I walked back to my car. My knuckles were white on the steering wheel.

My hands were shaking uncontrollably, just like that seventeen-year-old girl cornered in the alley.

But this time, there was no Maya to save me.

This time, Maya was the one who hurt me.

Tears blurred the road ahead.

Outside was the industrial grit of Brooklyn—violence, drugs, every dirty deal imaginable.

But none of it was as filthy as the darkness poisoning my heart.

I wanted to drive away, to escape this nightmare.

But my hands were shaking too hard to even hold the key. My tears made it impossible to see.

I needed to calm down.

At 5 a.m., my hands finally stopped shaking. My tears had run dry.

I was ready to leave this place and never look back.

Just then, the heavy steel door of the club creaked open.

A few men walked out, cigarettes dangling from their lips, laughing and joking. They seemed to be in a good mood.

I knew every single one of them—Marco, Luciano's right-hand man, who was always so respectful to me.

Tony, the family's accountant. We’d talked about the stock market at a family dinner.

Luca, Luciano's cousin. His wife and I did charity work together.

I thought they were my friends. My family.

"Looks like the boss prefers his women with a little more fire," Marco said with a laugh, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Or he wouldn't have stayed in there all night and postponed the family meeting."

"A princess like Catherine is for show, not for fun," Tony said, flicking ash from his cigarette, his tone dripping with contempt. "Too pure. Bet she’s a dead fish in bed. The boss is still a man. He needs a little spice."

Luca roared with laughter. "A spitfire like Maya knows how to play the game. I hear she's up for anything in bed. No wonder the boss is obsessed."

Their words were like knives, slicing me open.

So that's what I was to them. A boring vase. A pretty, stupid girl to put on display.

And Maya was the real deal, the one who could actually satisfy a man.

They all knew. Every single one of them.

While I was worried about Maya's safety, they were laughing at my naivety.

When I told Luciano "I'll be waiting," they were watching the show.

While I thought I was about to become the matriarch of the Carbone family, they were gossiping behind my back about how boring I was.

Just then, the club door opened again.

Luciano and Maya walked out.

Maya's face was still flushed from sex, her eyes lazy with satisfaction.

They really looked like they’d had a good night.

Maya swung her leg over her motorcycle. Luciano walked toward her, his hand reaching for her thigh, caressing the skin I would never show in public.

The gesture was so intimate it made me want to vomit. Like real lovers saying goodbye.

In that instant, I flipped on my headlights.

The bright beams hit Luciano. He squinted, shielding his eyes.

When he adjusted to the light and saw me in the car, his face went white as a sheet.

"Catherine..." His voice was a whisper, but I heard it clearly.