Chapter 5

The night of Jonah's fundraising dinner arrived with a cold front, the kind that sweeps down from Canada and makes the city feel like it's holding its breath. I stood in front of the full-length mirror in our bedroom, wearing a deep burgundy dress that flowed over the curve of my belly like water, my hair swept up in an elegant twist.

Jonah came up behind me, his hands settling on my shoulders. "You look beautiful."

"You're biased."

"I'm observant." He kissed the back of my head, but I could feel his slight tension in the line of his jaw. "Are you sure about this? Inviting Selene Cross? We haven't spoken to her in months."

"She asked to come," I said, the lie sliding off my tongue as easily as the truth I was hiding. "She's been going through a rough patch. I thought it would be gracious to let her attend."

Jonah studied me in the mirror, a flicker of something crossing his face. But he didn't push. He never pushed. "If you're sure."

"I'm sure." I turned, taking his hand. "Let's go."

The ballroom of the Chelsea Hotel was a cathedral of crystal and warm light, packed with the city's elite. I scanned the crowd, feeling the familiar crush of names and faces I'd learned to navigate. And in the corner, standing with her back to the wall, was Selene.

She was wearing black tonight. The dull, non-reflective kind that drinks light. Her hair was pulled back, her face bare, almost unrecognizable as the woman who'd smashed a vase across my temple.

I excused myself from Jonah and made my way toward her. She watched me come, a glass of water in her hand, her expression unreadable.

"You came," I said, stopping in front of her.

"I told you I would." Her voice was quiet. "The guilt's been eating me alive, Amara. I keep thinking about what I did. The way you looked when you fell. The way you tried to tell me it wasn't true."

I studied her, looking for the mask. It wasn't there. Just a tired, desperate woman who had made a terrible choice.

"Later," I said, keeping my voice low. "After the speeches, after the food. That's when you'll tell him. And you'll tell the whole truth."