Chapter 16
Candice stirred beneath the silk sheets, her head pounding, her throat dry like sandpaper. The sunlight that filtered through the blinds felt like a blade across her temples. She groaned, sitting up, one hand clutching her forehead.
“What the hell happened last night…”
She blinked, her vision slowly clearing as she stood and stumbled to the door. Her heels were still by the couch. Her phone, dead. Her memories? Blurred beyond recognition.
She made her way down the stairs in her satin robe, half-expecting silence-only to pause at the dining table.
A full spread of food was laid out-eggs, croissants, fresh juice, pancakes, a bright salad drizzled n vinaigrette. And shrimp.
Her heart lifted.
River.
She smiled to herself, walking toward the table. So he’s finally making up for last night. And fo nissing my show. Good. Maybe things were finally falling back into place.
She sat and began to eat casually, stabbing at the salad as she called out, “River! I didn’t know ‘ou cooked now.”
No response.
She continued anyway, “You missed a great night, by the way. The reviews were glowing. I wor hat gold gown you got me. Stunning, obviously. But we’ll need to make it up, you know? Some ew jewelry would be a good start.”
Still silence.
A strange tension began to form in her chest-but not emotional. Physical. She frowned and wallowed hard.
‘hen the itch began in her throat.
She coughed once. Then again-sharp, sudden.
She froze.
Her eyes widened as her breathing began to hitch, her chest tightening.
Wait…” she rasped. “River… is there shrimp in this?”
She turned to see him finally step out from the kitchen, leaning casually against the doorway. His eyes were cold.
‘Yes. I put shrimp in it.”
Panic flashed through her. “What? You-You know I’m allergic! Are you insane?! Do you want me
to die?”
Her throat was constricting now. She pushed herself back from the table, stumbling toward her purse. “My medicine-where’s my epi-pen-”
“I have it,” River said, lifting the injector in his hand.
Relief flooded her-only for a second.
212
“Give it to me,” she gasped, coughing harder. Her skin was blotching red, hives already beginning
to rise.
But River didn’t move.
He just looked at her.
“You don’t deserve to live,” he said, voice low and venomous. “So why should I give this to you?” Candice blinked, disoriented. “What… what are you saying?”
He stepped closer, eyes blazing now.
“I know everything,” he spat. “Last night. You confessed it all. You paid my men to keep Allison hidden. You sabotaged everything. You made her leave me.”
Her lips parted, trembling. “I-River-I was drunk-I didn’t mean—”
‘You meant every word,” he growled. “And I stood there. I listened. While you laughed like it was some game. Like ruining her life-our life-was a joke.”
‘Please…” Her voice cracked. “I couldn’t lose you.”
‘But you did,” he snarled. “I thought I wanted you. I thought being with you would fix the hole she eft behind. I kept telling myself this was what I wanted. That you were who I loved.”
His hand clenched tighter around the injector.
‘But I was lying. To you. To myself.”
Candice fell to her knees, clawing at her throat now, gasping.
‘Allison,” River whispered. “She’s better than you in every way. She’s kind. She’s strong. She mad
ne feel like I had a heart. You? You fed my ego. You filled a void. But that’s over now.”
Tears rolled down Candice’s cheeks. “River… please… help me…”
He crouched, meeting her eyes.
You destroyed everything I had left with her. And now, you expect me to save you?”
She tried to grab the injector, but he jerked it back, then stood-and threw it across the room.
t clattered to the floor, far out of reach.
Candice collapsed onto her side, wheezing, choking on air.
River stared down at her.
‘If I can’t get her back…” he said slowly, each word sharp as steel, “if she never forgives me, never
returns to me…”
His voice dropped to a whisper.
“This will all be your fault.”
Candice’s vision was blurring now. Her hands scrabbled at the ground, crawling toward the far wall where the injector had landed.
But River walked away.
“I should’ve known you were poison from the start,” he muttered.
She could barely hear him.
“Goodbye, Candice.”
And with that, he left the room, footsteps echoing through the cold silence.
