Hallie flew through the dark sky. The wind rushed past her ears.

Suddenly, the tight pull shifted. It was as if another, older wound cried out, overriding the first-the primal ache of the first betrayal she had ever known. A different, weaker force yanked her sharply to the left.

She crashed down through a concrete ceiling. She landed on a sticky, dirty floor.

The smell of cheap tobacco and stale beer filled her nose. Loud electronic bells rang from rows of slot machines.

Hallie stood up. She looked at the poker table in the corner.

Dafne Hill sat on a cheap plastic stool. Her eyes were red. She held a lit cigarette between her yellowed fingers.

This was the woman who raised her. Her mother.

Dafne pushed her last three plastic chips into the center of the table. She yelled at the dealer to deal the cards. The dealer flipped the cards and scooped her chips away.

Dafne slammed her hands on the table. She opened her mouth to scream.

Her cheap cell phone rang in her jacket pocket.

She pulled it out and glared at the screen. She pressed the green button.

"Who is it? I am busy losing money!" Dafne yelled.

A calm voice came through the speaker. "Is this Ms. Dafne Hill? I am calling from the emergency department at Seattle Central Hospital."

Dafne froze. She took a drag of her cigarette.

"We are calling to inform you that Hallie Monroe died in a car accident tonight," the nurse said. "We need you to come claim the body."

Hallie floated right next to Dafne's shoulder. A tiny, pathetic piece of hope fluttered in her chest. She waited for her mother to cry. She waited for a single tear.

Dafne's eyes widened. She sat up straight.

"Dead?" Dafne asked quickly. "Did she leave a life insurance policy? Am I the beneficiary?"

The nurse paused. "We do not have any insurance information on file, ma'am. We just need a family member to sign the release forms."

The excitement dropped from Dafne's face. Her mouth twisted into an ugly sneer. She spit on the dirty floor.

"If there is no money, why would I go look at a corpse?" Dafne shouted into the phone. "That little bitch was cheap when she was alive. Now she wants to waste my plane ticket money?"

"Ma'am, we need someone to-"

"I do not care what you do with her!" Dafne interrupted. "Throw her in the incinerator. Bury her in a ditch. Do not call me again!"

Dafne hit the end button. She threw the phone onto the poker table. She muttered curses about Hallie ruining her luck.

Hallie stood completely still. The words hit her like physical blows to the stomach.

Cold memories rushed into her head. She remembered being sixteen. She remembered working long shifts at the diner to save for college.

She remembered Dafne ripping her backpack open, taking the crumpled bills, and pushing her into the mud outside their trailer.

She remembered Dafne showing up at the Monroe Group lobby last year, screaming for alimony until Hallie handed over her credit card.

Hallie looked at the woman laughing with the man next to her, begging for a twenty-dollar loan.

A dry, silent laugh tore from Hallie's throat.

She was garbage to them. She had never been loved. Not by her husband. Not by her mother.

A hot, violent anger boiled in her chest. The energy spiked.

The fluorescent light bulb above the poker table flickered wildly. It buzzed loud and popped.

Dafne jumped in her seat. She cursed the casino's cheap electricity. She did not look around.

The thin, invisible string connecting Hallie to Dafne snapped. The bond was gone.

The stronger, violent force grabbed Hallie again. It wrapped around her waist.

The dirty basement vanished. The bright lights of the Manhattan skyline rushed toward her face.

She fell fast from the clouds. She dropped straight toward the massive penthouse in Tribeca. The home she shared with Aidan.

Hallie landed hard on the edge of the wide balcony. The cold night wind whipped around her.

She reached out to push the heavy sliding glass door. Her hand went straight through the thick glass. She stumbled forward into the dark living room.

The main lights were off. A few warm wall lamps glowed.

A heavy, expensive perfume hung in the air. It was sweet and sickening. It was not her scent.

Hallie heard a soft crying sound coming from the master bedroom. Her invisible heart hammered against her ribs.

She walked down the hall. She stepped right through the solid mahogany door.

The sight inside made her stomach drop.

Aidan's custom suit jacket was thrown on the floor. He sat on the edge of their large bed.

He held a small, shaking woman tightly against his chest.

It was Cecile. Her sister.

Cecile was wearing Hallie's favorite burgundy silk pajamas. The fabric slipped off her pale shoulder.

Cecile buried her face in Aidan's shirt. She sobbed loudly. Her hands gripped his waist.

Aidan rubbed his large hand up and down Cecile's back. His touch was slow and gentle. Hallie had never felt that touch.

"Do not be afraid," Aidan said. His voice was low and soft. "I promise that crazy woman will never bother you again."

Cecile lifted her head. Her eyes were red and wet. She bit her lower lip.

"She loves you so much," Cecile whispered. "That is why she faked that car crash. She just wanted to scare us."

Hallie's hands curled into fists. Her nails dug into her palms, but she felt nothing. Cecile was lying.

Aidan let out a harsh breath. "She does not know what love is. She only loves the Monroe title and the blank checks."

He reached up and wiped a tear from Cecile's cheek. "I am sick of her hysteria. I will have the lawyers enforce the divorce tomorrow."

Cecile rested her cheek against his palm. She looked like a frightened child.

But as Aidan looked away, the corner of Cecile's mouth twitched. A small, sharp smirk appeared on her lips.

It was a look of pure victory.

The truth hit Hallie like a physical punch to the throat. Cecile was not a victim. Cecile was the predator.

Hallie screamed. She lunged forward. She grabbed the collar of the burgundy pajamas and pulled.

Her hands passed through the silk. She grabbed at Cecile's hair. Her fingers caught nothing but empty air.

Cecile suddenly shivered. She pressed closer to Aidan.

"Aidan, it feels cold in here," Cecile whispered.

Aidan wrapped his arms completely around her. He glared at the empty space near the window.

"It is just the bad energy she left behind in this place," Aidan said coldly.

Hallie stopped moving. Her arms dropped to her sides. She stared at the man she had loved for three years.

She remembered burning her hand making him soup, and him walking right past her. Now, Cecile shed fake tears, and he treated her like glass.

Aidan rubbed his temples. He looked down at Cecile.

"Go change your clothes," Aidan said. "We are not staying in this disgusting place tonight."

Cecile nodded quickly. She leaned up and kissed his jaw.

Hallie watched the kiss. The last warm feeling she had for Aidan turned to ash.

Cecile walked out of the closet wearing an expensive cashmere coat.

Aidan stepped forward and wrapped his arm around her waist. He lifted her off the floor and carried her in his arms.

Cecile let out a small gasp. She hid her face in his neck. Aidan kicked the bedroom door open and walked down the hall.

Hallie stood by the bed. A tight, invisible chain wrapped around her neck.

As Aidan walked further away, the chain pulled tight. It dragged Hallie forward. She floated behind them, unable to stop.

They took the private elevator down to the underground garage. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom was waiting. The driver opened the heavy door.

Aidan placed Cecile gently into the back seat. He climbed in next to her.

Hallie was pulled right through the metal roof. She sat on the empty seat facing them.

The car was completely quiet. Cecile leaned her head on Aidan's shoulder. Aidan took her cold hand and placed it on his thigh to warm it.

He kissed the top of her blonde hair. "I will give you the biggest future," he whispered. "No one will stand in your way."

Cecile squeezed his hand. Her eyes filled with fake tears.

The car drove out of Manhattan. It headed east toward the Hamptons.

An hour later, the massive iron gates of the Monroe Estate opened. The car drove up the long, winding driveway.

The car stopped. The head butler and a row of maids stood on the stone steps. They held large black umbrellas in the rain.

Aidan stepped out. He reached back and helped Cecile out of the car.

The butler bowed his head. He handed Cecile a warm towel. "Welcome home, Miss Cecile."

The maids bowed their heads, their faces impassive, but Hallie could see the subtle shift in their posture as they attended to Cecile-a swiftness and deference they had never shown her. They knew who the real power was.

Hallie floated above the wet grass. She remembered her first day here. The butler had handed her a list of rules and walked away. The maids had whispered about her cheap shoes. Aidan had stood by the door and watched.

Aidan held Cecile's hand and walked up the marble steps. He asked her if she was hungry. His voice was full of patience.

Cecile shook her head. "I just want to rest."

Aidan told the butler to prepare hot tea. He led Cecile up the grand staircase.

They walked down the second-floor hallway. They stopped at the large double doors on the east wing.

Hallie knew this room. It had the best sunlight. She had begged Aidan to let her use it as an art studio. He had told her she did not deserve it.

Aidan pushed the doors open. The suite was filled with fresh white roses and expensive oil paintings. It was decorated exactly to Cecile's taste.

Cecile smiled. She threw her arms around Aidan's neck. "This is my only safe place."

Aidan hugged her back. "It is yours forever."

Hallie stood in the doorway. A sick feeling twisted in her stomach. She hated herself for ever begging this man for anything.

Aidan touched Cecile's cheek. "I need to go to the study. I have to speak with my father."

Cecile nodded. She watched him walk away.

The second the door clicked shut, the soft look on Cecile's face vanished. Her eyes turned hard and calculating. She walked to the mirror and fixed her hair.

Hallie did not stay to watch. The invisible chain pulled her backward. She floated down the hall, following Aidan's footsteps.