The cold night air hit Elena's face. She stood on the curb with Sloane, waiting for the valet to bring the car.

Heavy, frantic footsteps slapped against the pavement behind them.

Elena turned her head.

Jett charged out of the club doors. His eyes were bloodshot. He held the half-empty whiskey bottle by the neck.

"You ruined her!" Jett screamed, spit flying from his mouth.

He raised the heavy glass bottle high above his head and swung it directly at Elena's face.

Sloane shrieked and covered her head.

Elena didn't flinch.

As the bottle came down, Elena shifted her weight to her left foot. She tilted her upper body just enough. The bottle sliced through the empty air, missing her nose by an inch.

Elena simply stepped smoothly to the side. As Jett's momentum carried him recklessly forward, Elena's foot subtly hooked behind his ankle. Jett lost his footing entirely. He tripped over his own feet, his arms flailing wildly as he crashed down hard onto the curb. A loud pop echoed in the quiet street as his shoulder hit the concrete at an unnatural angle.

Jett let out a deafening scream. His fingers opened, and the whiskey bottle shattered against the concrete, spraying glass and alcohol everywhere. He folded in half like a piece of paper, clutching his dislocated shoulder. Jett collapsed into the puddle of whiskey and broken glass.

Andrew ran out of the club just in time to see Jett hit the ground.

He stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at Elena, his brain unable to process what he just saw.

"Are you insane?" Andrew roared, running over to Jett. "You're a violent psycho!"

Elena reached into her pocket and pulled out a tissue. She wiped the hand that had touched Jett's wrist.

"He attacked me with a weapon," Elena said, her voice completely flat. "It's called self-defense."

"I'm calling the police!" Andrew yelled, pulling out his phone. "I'm going to lock you up!"

Elena pointed a single finger up at the streetlamp.

"There's a security camera right there," Elena said. "Call them. But if the police show up, I'll make sure they look into Jett's missing two million dollars while they're at it."

Andrew's thumb froze over the screen. He looked at the camera, then down at Jett, who was still groaning on the ground. He slowly lowered his phone.

The valet pulled Sloane's black Porsche up to the curb.

Elena walked over and opened the passenger door.

Andrew suddenly stepped forward and slammed his hand flat against the top of the door, stopping her from getting in. He stared at her face, searching for the weak, quiet girl he thought he knew.

Elena met his gaze. Her eyes were dark, cold, and entirely empty of the love she used to fake for him.

A sharp pain hit Andrew's chest. He ignored it.

"Don't play games tomorrow," Andrew warned through gritted teeth. "Sign the papers."

"Bring them at nine," Elena said.

She looked at his forehead. A faint, greyish shadow hovered over his skin.

"And Andrew," Elena added, her tone shifting to something eerie and serious. "Stay away from large bodies of water. Or it will kill you."

Andrew scoffed, a harsh sound of disbelief. "Save your cheap curses for someone who cares."

Elena slapped his hand off the car door. She slid into the leather seat and pulled the door shut with a loud slam.

Sloane hit the gas. The Porsche engine roared, leaving Andrew standing on the curb next to his vomiting friend.

Inside the car, Sloane hit the steering wheel with her palms.

"That was incredible!" Sloane yelled. "Did you see his face? You broke Jett in half!"

Elena leaned her head back against the headrest. She watched the city lights blur past the window. Her chest felt light. The suffocating weight of the Macdonald family was finally gone.

She pulled out her phone. She opened her contacts. With a few quick taps, she blocked Andrew's number. Then Jett's. Then Beatrice's.

She deleted her entire past.

Back on the street, Andrew watched the red taillights of the Porsche disappear. His heart beat too fast. A strange, suffocating panic gripped his throat.

Kaitlynn walked out of the club. She reached out to touch his arm.

Andrew flinched. He pulled his arm away, taking a step back from her.

The Porsche descended into the private underground garage of a luxury Manhattan high-rise.

Sloane led Elena to the private elevator. She pressed her thumb against the scanner, and the doors slid open.

"This is your sanctuary now," Sloane said as the elevator shot up to the penthouse.

The doors parted to reveal a massive, open-concept living space. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a breathtaking view of the glowing New York skyline.

Sloane walked straight to the glass wine cellar. She pulled out a bottle of vintage champagne. The cork popped with a loud, celebratory crack.

Elena took off her cheap beige trench coat and dropped it on a chair. Sloane handed her a black silk robe. Elena slipped it on. The cool fabric slid against her skin, instantly making her feel like a different person.

They sat on the plush white sofa facing the windows.

Sloane handed Elena a crystal flute.

"Okay, you have to tell me," Sloane said, her eyes wide with excitement. "How did you know about the clinic? And Jett's money?"

Elena swirled the golden liquid in her glass. She took a sip.

"I read minds," Elena said, her face completely deadpan.

Sloane burst out laughing. "Whatever. Keep your secrets. But watching Kaitlynn collapse was the best moment of my life."

They clinked their glasses together.

The shrill ringing of the landline phone on the kitchen island shattered the quiet atmosphere.

Sloane frowned. She set her glass down and walked over to the phone. She picked up the receiver.

She listened for two seconds. Her face hardened. She covered the mouthpiece with her hand and looked at Elena.

"It's Andrew," Sloane whispered.

Elena's fingers tightened around the stem of her champagne flute. Andrew had used his family's connections to track down Sloane's unlisted landline. His need for control was pathological.

Elena stood up. She walked over and took the phone from Sloane.

She pressed it to her ear.

"Why are you hiding?" Andrew's voice blasted through the speaker, thick with anger and alcohol.

"I'm not hiding," Elena said, her voice smooth and bored. "I just took the trash out and didn't want to smell it anymore."

Andrew breathed heavily into the phone.

"Jett has a fractured rib," Andrew yelled. "He's at the hospital. And Kaitlynn is having a severe panic attack. The doctors had to give her a sedative because of your lies!"

Elena let out a short, sharp laugh.

"Her mental fortitude is pathetic," Elena mocked. "If she's brave enough to kill a baby, she should be brave enough to handle the truth."

"She is innocent!" Andrew roared. "You will sign the papers tomorrow, and you will issue a public apology to her!"

Elena stared at her reflection in the dark glass of the window.

"Is your brain filled with seawater?" Elena asked. "I will sign the papers. But I will never apologize. I'm going to sit back and watch the two of you destroy each other."

"You are a cold-blooded monster," Andrew spat. "You don't deserve the Macdonald name."

"I don't want it," Elena said. "Starting tomorrow, I am Elena Frank again. Your name makes me sick."

Elena pulled the phone away from her ear. She reached down and yanked the telephone cord straight out of the wall socket.

The line went dead.

The apartment was perfectly silent again.

Elena dropped the receiver onto the counter. She turned around. Sloane was staring at her, her mouth slightly open.

"Textbook," Sloane said, holding up her glass. "Absolutely textbook."

Elena picked up her champagne. She tapped her glass against Sloane's and drank the rest of it in one swallow.

Across the city, in a sterile hospital corridor, Andrew stared at his phone. The dial tone buzzed in his ear. He slammed his fist into the drywall, leaving a dent.

Inside the hospital room, Kaitlynn lay in bed. Her eyes were closed. When she heard the thud against the wall, the corner of her lips curled up into a sick, satisfied smile.

That night, Elena sank into the massive, soft bed in the guest room. She closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly. It was the first time in two years she didn't have a nightmare.