The morning sun was blinding as Kelsi walked out of the hospital's sliding glass doors.

She had refused the wheelchair the hospital offered. She walked slowly, her hand pressed firmly against her right side, her posture slightly hunched to protect her stitches. Every step sent a dull ache through her core, but she needed to walk out on her own two feet.

She had instructed the billing department to send the hospital invoice directly to Harrington Group. It was the absolute least Jeb owed her.

She stood on the curb and pulled out her phone to order an Uber. She typed in Gisele's address in SoHo, not the Hampton penthouse.

As she waited, her phone started vibrating in her palm. An unknown number flashed on the screen.

She hesitated, then swiped to answer.

"Kelsi!" A shrill, grating voice pierced her eardrum. "Why haven't you been answering your phone? Do you know I've been going crazy trying to reach you?"

Kelsi pulled the phone an inch away from her ear. "Aunt Brenda. What do you want?"

"Did you and Jeb get into a fight?" Brenda demanded, her tone dripping with accusation. "What about Kevin's job? You promised me you would talk to Jeb and get Kevin a position at Harrington Group!"

Kelsi closed her eyes. A wave of exhaustion washed over her.

Kevin Crowley was her lazy, entitled cousin. Ever since Kelsi got engaged to Jeb, her aunt and uncle had treated her like a golden ticket, constantly demanding favors and connections.

"I'm not talking to Jeb about Kevin," Kelsi said, her voice completely flat.

Brenda gasped loudly. "Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean? Kelsi, don't you forget who took you in when your parents died! We fed you and housed you for years! Now you're acting like you're too good to help your own family?"

Kelsi let out a dry, humorless laugh.

Took her in. They had moved her into their cramped attic and used her parents' trust fund to pay off their own mortgage, all while complaining about the cost of her groceries.

"First of all," Kelsi said, her voice dropping to a cold, hard whisper. "My parents' trust fund paid for every single cent of my living expenses and my tuition. You didn't give me a dime. Second, Kevin's employment is his own problem. It has nothing to do with me."

"You ungrateful little brat!" Brenda shrieked. "You think the Harringtons are going to respect you if you cut off your own family? You need us to look good!"

"Don't worry about it," Kelsi said. "And don't call me for this kind of thing ever again."

She hung up the phone. She went straight to her settings and blocked the number.

A black SUV pulled up to the curb. Kelsi verified the license plate and climbed into the back seat, wincing as she settled against the leather.

Thirty minutes later, the Uber pulled up to Gisele's luxury apartment building in SoHo.

Gisele was already standing on the sidewalk. The moment Kelsi stepped out of the car, Gisele rushed forward, her hands waving frantically in the air.

"Oh my god, Kelsi! You look terrible!" Gisele grabbed Kelsi's arm, supporting her weight. Her dark eyes scanned Kelsi's pale face. "Where the hell is Jeb? Why didn't that bastard come pick you up?"

"We're done, Gisele," Kelsi said quietly as they walked toward the lobby.

Gisele stopped dead in her tracks. "Done? What do you mean done? Kelsi, don't be impulsive. Couples fight, it's normal..."

Kelsi turned to look at her best friend. Her eyes were clear and completely devoid of emotion.

"I'm not fighting with him," Kelsi said. "I left him. I need to borrow your car, or I need you to come with me. I have to go pack my things."

Gisele stared at her. She saw the absolute finality in Kelsi's expression. Gisele's mouth snapped shut. She nodded sharply.

Meanwhile, across the city, in the sleek, glass-walled executive office of Harrington Group.

Jeb Harrington threw his phone onto his mahogany desk. It hit the wood with a loud clatter.

He rubbed his temples in frustration. He had tried calling Kelsi three times. Every call went straight to voicemail. His text messages were bouncing back with red exclamation points.

She had blocked him.

Jeb scoffed, leaning back in his leather chair. Unbelievable. She was throwing a tantrum because he went to Seraphina's party instead of sitting in a hospital waiting room for a routine appendix removal.

She would get over it. She always did. Kelsi was soft. She had nowhere else to go.

He pressed the intercom button on his desk.

"Yes, Mr. Harrington?" his assistant answered immediately.

"Order a massive bouquet of roses. The expensive ones," Jeb commanded. "Send them to the penthouse. And track down Kelsi's location. Find out where she went after she checked out of the hospital."

He released the button and turned his attention back to his computer monitor. He wasn't going to chase her. He would let her cool off for a few days, and then she would come crawling back.

Kelsi sat on the plush velvet sofa in Gisele's living room. She held a mug of hot tea between her palms, letting the warmth seep into her cold skin.

Slowly, methodically, she told Gisele everything. She told her about the Vera Wang fitting room. She told her about the agonizing pain on the floor. She told her about the phone call, and Seraphina's voice in the background.

As Kelsi spoke, Gisele's face morphed from shock, to disbelief, to pure, unadulterated rage.

Gisele slammed her hand down on the coffee table. The tea in Kelsi's mug sloshed over the rim.

"He did WHAT?" Gisele screamed, jumping to her feet. She began pacing the room, her hands gesturing wildly. "That bastard! That absolute piece of trash! I'm going to his office right now and I'm going to kill him!"

Kelsi offered a small, tired smile. "It's not worth it, Gisele. I've already made my decision."

Gisele stopped pacing. She looked at Kelsi, taking in her pale face and the way she was carefully holding her stomach. Gisele took a deep breath, walked over, and sat down next to her. She grabbed Kelsi's hand and squeezed it hard.

"Okay. You're right," Gisele said fiercely. "He's not worth the jail time. I support you, one hundred percent. We are getting your stuff right now. You are not leaving a single pair of socks in that apartment for him." "Thank you," Kelsi murmured, a sudden clarity settling over her. "I need to get my life back in order, starting with my own finances. I've already scheduled a meeting with my family lawyer to review everything my uncle handled. No more loose ends."

They took Gisele's Range Rover to the Hampton penthouse.

Jeb wasn't home. Kelsi used her key to unlock the door. She stood in the entryway, looking at the expensive modern furniture. It looked like a magazine cover. It didn't look like a home. She felt absolutely nothing.

They worked like a military strike team. Within two hours, Kelsi's clothes, toiletries, and personal documents were packed into four large suitcases.

Gisele picked up a pair of Jeb's limited-edition sneakers. "Can I throw these in the toilet?"

"Leave them," Kelsi said, shaking her head.

Before they walked out the door, Kelsi walked over to the sleek console table in the foyer. Sitting right in the center was a massive, obnoxious bouquet of red roses. Jeb's assistant had been fast.

Kelsi pulled the three-carat diamond engagement ring off her finger. She placed it carefully on the table, right next to the roses. She dropped her apartment keys next to the ring.

The metal clinked against the wood. It sounded like a period at the end of a very long, very bad sentence.

By 8:00 PM, Kelsi's suitcases were piled in the corner of Gisele's guest room.

Kelsi was sitting on the edge of the bed in sweatpants, staring blankly at the wall.

Gisele walked into the room and threw a flowing, black silk A-line dress onto Kelsi's lap.

"Get up. Put that on. We are going out."

Kelsi frowned, looking down at the silk fabric. "Gisele, I just had surgery yesterday. I'm in pain, and I really don't have the energy."

"You don't need energy, you need a distraction," Gisele said, crossing her arms. "You are not sitting in my guest room moping over a man who chose his sister-in-law over you. Trust me. I know a place. It's exactly what you need."

An hour later, their Uber pulled up directly in front of a discreet, unmarked door in the Meatpacking District. Gisele carefully helped Kelsi out of the car, supporting her weight as they stepped onto the sidewalk, stopping in front of a dirty, abandoned-looking phone booth.

Gisele picked up the heavy receiver and spoke one word into the mouthpiece. "Valhalla."

The back wall of the phone booth slid open silently, revealing a dimly lit staircase. The low, thumping bass of jazz music drifted up from the dark.

It was a speakeasy. An exclusive, members-only underground club.

Kelsi followed Gisele down the stairs. The interior was stunning. Exposed brick walls, plush leather booths, and crystal chandeliers casting a warm, amber glow over the crowd. The air smelled of expensive bourbon and expensive perfume.

"Welcome to the cure," Gisele winked. "Your only job tonight is to drink a strong cocktail, look at beautiful men, and delete the name Jeb Harrington from your brain."

Kelsi sighed, but a small smile finally touched her lips.

Gisele led her to a corner booth and immediately ordered a round of drinks.

What Kelsi didn't know was that on the second floor, in a private VIP section overlooking the main bar, a man was standing by the railing.

He held a glass of whiskey in his hand. His dark, piercing eyes were locked directly on Kelsi.

He had been watching her since the moment she walked down the stairs.

He set his glass down on a passing waiter's tray. He turned to the man sitting on the sofa behind him.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said, his voice a low, smooth baritone.

He turned and began walking toward the stairs, his eyes never leaving the woman in the black dress.

The music in Valhalla was loud, a heavy bass that vibrated through the floorboards.

Gisele stood up from the leather booth, grabbing their empty glasses. "I'm going to the bar to get us another round. Don't move."

Kelsi nodded, leaning back against the cushions. She pressed her hand against her stomach. The pain medication was working, but the loud environment was starting to make her feel slightly claustrophobic.

She needed some air.

She stood up and navigated her way through the crowded room, heading toward a narrow, dimly lit hallway that led to an outdoor smoking terrace.

At the exact same moment, Augustus Russo reached the bottom of the staircase. His dark eyes instantly tracked Kelsi's movement. He saw her slip into the hallway.

He adjusted the cuffs of his vintage leather jacket and followed her, his strides long and deliberate. He kept a few paces behind her, watching the way the black silk dress clung to her figure.

The hallway was dark, illuminated only by small wall sconces.

Kelsi was looking at her phone, trying to lower the screen brightness, when the heel of her shoe caught on a thick fold in the vintage rug.

She gasped as her ankle twisted. She pitched forward, bracing herself for the hard impact of the floor.

It never came.

A strong, muscular arm wrapped firmly around her waist, pulling her flush against a solid chest.

"Careful," a deep, resonant voice murmured right next to her ear. The breath ghosted over her skin, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

Kelsi's heart hammered against her ribs. She braced her hands against his chest to steady herself and looked up.

She crashed into a pair of eyes that were as dark and endless as a midnight sky.

The man was tall, towering over her even in her heels. His jawline was sharp enough to cut glass, covered in a light shadow of stubble. He exuded an intense, quiet power that made the air around them feel thick.

Kelsi blinked, her mind racing. She stared at his face. There was something incredibly familiar about the slope of his nose, the intense way he was looking at her.

"Have we met?" Kelsi asked, her voice slightly breathless.

The man's lips curved into a slow, devastating smile. He didn't let go of her waist immediately.

"We have," he said smoothly. "A gallery opening in London. About a year ago."

The memory clicked into place. Kelsi remembered. She had accompanied Jeb on a business trip to London. She had wandered into an independent art gallery while Jeb was in meetings.

She remembered this man. He had been one of the featured artists. They had spoken for maybe ten minutes about a particularly aggressive abstract painting.

"It's you," Kelsi said, her eyes widening in surprise. She took a small step back, and his arm finally dropped from her waist. "I remember your work. It was very... visceral."

Augustus let out a low chuckle. "Thank you. I didn't expect to run into you here, Kelsi Owens."

Kelsi was taken aback. "You remember my name?"

Augustus's gaze swept over her face slowly, taking in the slight paleness of her cheeks. "I have a good memory. Besides, you and your fiancé, Jeb Harrington, are frequently in the society pages."

At the mention of Jeb's name, Kelsi's body went rigid. The light in her eyes instantly died out.

Augustus didn't miss the micro-expression. He tracked the way her fingers curled inward.

"That's in the past," Kelsi said quietly, looking away.

Augustus raised a dark eyebrow, but he didn't push. He simply shifted the conversation. "Did you just get back from Europe?"

"No," Kelsi shook her head. "Did you?"

Augustus nodded, shoving his hands into the pockets of his leather jacket. "Yeah. The opportunities in London dried up. Figured I'd come back to New York and see if I could make something happen."

He delivered the lie flawlessly. His tone was casual, but laced with just enough self-deprecation to sound authentic.

Kelsi's mind immediately filled in the blanks. Opportunities dried up. He was struggling. He couldn't sell his art in London, so he had to move back to the States to try and survive.

Before Kelsi could offer a sympathetic response, the sharp clacking of heels echoed down the hallway.

"Kelsi! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Gisele appeared, holding two fresh cocktails. She stopped dead when she saw the man standing next to Kelsi. Gisele's eyes widened, scanning him from head to toe with blatant appreciation.

"Oh," Gisele purred, stepping closer. "And who is this?"

Kelsi suddenly realized she didn't actually know his name. "This is... I'm so sorry, I forgot your name."

Augustus pulled his right hand out of his pocket and extended it toward Gisele.

"Yannis," he said smoothly.

Gisele shook his hand, her eyes sparkling with gossip. "Nice to meet you, Yannis. I'm Gisele. But I have to steal my girl back now. Emergency girls' talk."

Gisele linked her arm through Kelsi's and began pulling her back toward the main bar.

Kelsi glanced over her shoulder. "Yannis" was still standing in the dim hallway, watching her walk away.