Damon's silhouette vanished through the massive church doors, and the silence he left behind was instantly shattered. The whispers erupted into a roar of condemnation.
A woman in the front row, dripping in diamonds and malice, stood up. She picked up her champagne flute, met Aria's eyes with a look of pure loathing, and with a flick of her wrist, flung the contents at her.
The cold, bubbly liquid splashed across Aria's face and chest, stinging her eyes. It dripped down her chin, soaking into the delicate lace of her gown, leaving a dark, ugly stain over her heart.
The act broke the dam. The crowd surged forward, not physically touching her, but their words were blows. Murderer. Gold-digger. How dare you show your face.
Aria blinked the champagne from her lashes. She didn't wipe it away. She stood tall, her spine a rod of steel, refusing to give them the satisfaction of her tears. She would not break in front of them.
She gathered the heavy, damp skirt of her gown and turned. One step at a time, she descended from the altar. The crowd parted for her, a sea of hatred creating a narrow path. Feet darted out, trying to trip her, but she moved with a slow, deliberate grace, her eyes fixed on the light of the open doorway.
Her stepmother, Lydia Lowell, stood there, blocking her path. Her perfectly made-up face was a mask of cold fury. "Don't you ever think of setting foot in the Lowell house again," she hissed, her voice low and venomous. "You are a disgrace to this family. You are no longer my daughter."
Aria met her gaze, a cold fire burning in her own eyes. She said nothing. She simply shouldered past her, the contact a small, sharp act of defiance, and stepped out of the church.
She walked from the dim sanctuary onto the steps of the Fifth Avenue cathedral and into a maelstrom.
The New York autumn had unleashed a cold, driving rain. And a pack of reporters, a frenzy of sharks smelling blood. Microphones were shoved in her face, cameras flashed, blinding her.
"Mrs. Sinclair, do you dream of your dead sister at night?" a voice shouted.
The relentless lights disoriented her. She took a step back, and the heel of her satin pump caught in a crack between the stone steps. She twisted her ankle, trying to pull free, and the heel snapped with a sickening crack.
Her balance gone, she pitched forward, a cry catching in her throat as she saw the grimy, rain-slicked pavement rushing up to meet her.
Before she could hit the ground, a hand shot out, gripping her arm in a vise. It wasn't gentle. It was brutally efficient.
Damon's assistant, Mark, his face a blank, emotionless slate, hauled her upright. He moved with the precision of a soldier, positioning his body between her and the most aggressive reporters.
"Back up," he commanded, his voice flat but carrying an authority that made the press hesitate. "This is a private matter of the Sinclair Corporation."
He snapped open a large black umbrella, holding it over her head. It did little to stop the rain whipping in from the sides. With a firm, impersonal grip on her arm, he half-dragged her down the remaining steps toward a black SUV idling at the curb.
Aria bent down and pulled off the broken shoe, the pavement shockingly cold against her bare foot. She didn't care. She scrambled into the back of the vehicle, the door slamming shut behind her, cutting off the noise and the flashing lights.
The sudden silence was deafening. The car smelled of expensive leather and Damon's cold, signature cologne. It was suffocating.
Mark got into the passenger seat without a word. "To the Hampton estate, driver."
The engine purred to life, and the car pulled smoothly into traffic. Aria huddled in the corner of the vast backseat, her body wracked with shivers. Her dress was soaked, her hair plastered to her skull, and a deep, bone-aching cold had set in.
Aria stared out the window, watching the glittering lights of Fifth Avenue blur and distort through the rain-streaked glass. The city she once loved now felt like a foreign, hostile land.
Her gaze fell to her left hand. The ring. She tried to pull it off, her fingers clumsy and numb. But it wouldn't budge. Her knuckle was already swollen and purple, the diamond biting into her flesh. A permanent shackle.
Aria gave up, letting her hand fall into her lap. She rested her head against the cold window, the vibration of the car a dull thrum against her skull. The shock was wearing off, replaced by a chilling, desolate clarity.
The two-hour drive passed in absolute silence. The city gave way to suburbs, then to the sprawling, manicured landscapes of the Hamptons.
Finally, the SUV slowed, turning onto a long, private road. Ahead, a pair of immense, black wrought-iron gates loomed in the twilight. The Sinclair family crest, a snarling wolf's head, was worked into the metal.
The gates swung open without a sound, a silent, gaping maw. The car rolled through, and the gates closed behind them with a heavy, final clang. It was the sound of a cage door locking.
The SUV crunched to a halt on the gravel driveway in front of the main house. The Sinclair estate was less a home and more a palace, a sprawling stone behemoth that loomed against the stormy sky. As the car door opened, a raw, salt-laced wind whipped off the Atlantic, cutting through Aria's wet dress and chilling her to the bone.
She slid out, the heavy, ruined gown dragging behind her. On the top step of the grand portico stood the butler, Mr. Graves. He was a tall, severe man in a perfectly tailored suit, his posture as rigid as a statue. His eyes, small and sharp, held a look of profound disdain.
Aria took a step toward the stairs, her only thought to get out of the biting wind. Mr. Graves raised his hand, a white-gloved gesture of absolute authority. He held a slender, silver-tipped cane, and he used it to bar her path.
"Mr. Sinclair's orders are explicit," the butler said, his voice as cold as the wind. "The main house was Miss Veronica's. A murderer is not fit to cross its threshold."
The words were a physical blow. Aria's head snapped toward the SUV, looking for Mark, but he was already back in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed straight ahead, refusing to meet hers. The car pulled away, leaving her alone on the driveway with the hostile butler.
Mr. Graves gestured dismissively to a gardener who was trimming a nearby hedge. "Take the... new Mrs. Sinclair to the old boathouse at the edge of the property."
Aria didn't argue. She knew it was pointless. There was no mercy to be found here. She turned and followed the gardener, her one bare foot numb against the cold, wet gravel.
They walked away from the perfectly manicured lawns and rose gardens, past the tennis courts and the shimmering pool house. The path devolved into a dirt track, overgrown with weeds and thorny bushes that snagged at the delicate lace of her dress, tearing it further.
After a ten-minute walk, they reached the most remote corner of the vast estate. There, half-hidden by overgrown ivy, stood a small, dilapidated stone building. The old boathouse. It looked like it hadn't been used in fifty years.
The gardener pushed open the warped wooden door. It groaned in protest, a long, screeching sound. He gestured for her to enter and then, without another word, turned and practically fled back toward the civilized part of the grounds.
Aria stepped inside. The air was thick with the smell of mildew, damp earth, and the faint, briny scent of the sea. It was a smell of decay.
She took in her new home. A single, rusty metal bed frame with a thin, stained mattress. A rickety wooden dresser. And a thick layer of dust and grime covering everything. A pane of glass in the single window was shattered, allowing the relentless wind to whistle through the small room.
She went to the small sink in the corner and turned the faucet. The pipes shuddered and groaned, finally spitting out a trickle of brown, rust-colored water. Undrinkable.
Shivering uncontrollably, she went to the dresser, hoping to find a blanket, anything. She pulled on the top drawer, but it was stuck fast. She yanked harder. With a splintering crack, the entire drawer came loose, falling toward the floor.
Inside, an old, tarnished hand mirror slid out and shattered on the stone floor, scattering shards of silvered glass across the dusty floorboards.
A curse escaped her lips. Kneeling, she began to carefully pick up the larger pieces. Her hands were numb with cold, her movements clumsy. A sharp, searing pain shot through her palm. She gasped, pulling her hand back.
A deep gash ran across her palm, welling with dark red blood. The cut was clean, deep. Blood dripped onto the floor, stark against the gray dust.
Aria pressed her other hand against the wound, a wave of dizziness washing over her. She had to stop the bleeding. She had to find a first-aid kit.
Forcing herself to her feet, she stumbled out of the boathouse and began the long, agonizing walk back to the main house, cradling her bleeding hand to her chest. The wind was stronger now, and the sky was almost completely dark.
She found a service entrance at the back of the house, near the kitchens, and pressed the buzzer. After a long moment, the door opened a crack. Mr. Graves peered out, his face contorted in annoyance.
Aria held up her hand. The blood was now running down her wrist, dripping from her fingertips. "Please," she said, her voice weak but steady. "I need a first-aid kit. I've cut myself."
Mr. Graves's eyes flickered to the wound, then back to her face. A cruel, thin smile touched his lips. "The estate's medical supplies are for the family and staff. Not for criminals." He then glanced at the drops of her blood on the pristine stone step. "You've soiled the entrance. You should apologize to Miss Veronica's memory for your carelessness."
Something inside Aria snapped. The last vestiges of shock and fear burned away, leaving only cold, hard rage. She met his gaze, her own eyes like chips of ice.
"Never."
The butler's smile vanished. "As you wish."
He slammed the heavy oak door in her face. The click of the deadbolt was loud and final.
Aria stood there for a moment, the wind tearing at her, the pain in her hand a throbbing, insistent drum. She looked down at her ruined dress. With her good hand, she gripped the inner lining, a layer of soft, clean silk, and tore a long strip free.
Gritting her teeth against the pain, she wrapped the makeshift bandage tightly around her bleeding palm. It was a poor substitute for proper care, but it would have to do.
Aria turned her back on the warm, lighted house and walked back into the darkness, a solitary, ghostly figure in a tattered white gown, disappearing into the storm.
