Chapter 2
Nina remembered that night six months ago. Hugh had come home drunk in the middle of the night, stumbling up the stairs and pushing open her bedroom door.
Startled, she sat up in bed. Before she could say a word, he pulled her into his arms.
"Sophie," he mumbled, nuzzling into the crook of her neck, his voice muffled. "You're finally back."
Nina froze.
He kissed her eyes and brows, then her lips, so gently, as if she were made of porcelain.
Her heart was pounding. Her mind screamed at her to push him away, but her body clung to the warmth of the moment.
Then he opened his eyes. The moment he saw her face, it was like he'd been doused in ice water. He shoved her away.
The force was so strong that her head hit the nightstand hard, stars exploding in her vision.
"You?" Hugh frowned, his eyes full of undisguised disgust. "Get out."
Nina clutched her head and scrambled out of her own room, hair wild, humiliation burning in her cheeks.
She spent that night on the porch steps, sitting there until daybreak.
Nina thought back to that afternoon. When word got out that Sophie was back, Hugh wasn't himself. He came home early, changed three times, and spent ages in front of the mirror fussing with his tie.
Then his phone rang.
The caller said, "Mr. Frost, Ms. Lynn has been kidnapped. The kidnappers said they want a hostage swap."
Hugh's face changed in an instant. He snatched up his car keys and rushed out. As he passed Nina, she was coming out of the kitchen with a bowl of fresh oatmeal.
He shot her a glance. Then he grabbed her wrist, dragged her to the car, and pushed her inside.
"Hugh Frost, what are you doing?" It was the first time Nina had called him by his full name.
He didn't answer.
It hit her then: he'd brought her here to trade her for Sophie.
From the very beginning, she had been nothing more than expendable in his eyes, like the spare keys at home, best left unused, but handy if the main set went missing.
With a deafening crash, the warehouse door collapsed. Flames roared, sealing off the exit.
Nina stared at the inferno, and suddenly, she laughed.
She remembered how, just moments ago, when Sophie had been untied, she'd walked right past Nina and whispered, "Thanks for dying instead of me."
Her tone and her smile made everything clicked in an instant.
Sophie had orchestrated her own kidnapping.
And Hugh had personally delivered Nina into this trap.
Another beam gave way, this time crashing down onto Nina's back.
Nina lay sprawled on the scorching concrete, her consciousness fading. The last thing she saw was the pitch-black night sky outside the warehouse: no stars, nothing, only emptiness.
Nina remembered every morning for those three years, cooking oatmeal for Hugh and waiting for him to come downstairs.
She remembered all those late nights, leaving the lights on, hoping he'd walk through the door.
She remembered those rare moments when he was in a good mood and would say "thank you"; she'd be over the moon for days.
She remembered that night. He'd been drunk, holding her, calling out Sophie's name, and she'd foolishly treasured even that fleeting tenderness.
How foolish she had been. With her last ounce of strength, Nina made a silent vow in her fading mind: If she lived through this, she would never love Hugh again.
The tongues of fire consumed her silhouette.
*****
Five years later, at Marston's airport, Nina emerged from the VIP channel.
She wore black wide-leg pants and an off-white silk blouse, a simple Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso on her wrist. She didn't rush,. Her every step was steady, her posture upright, her eyes as calm and deep as a still lake.
"Ms. Sterling, over here." Bella, Nina's assistant, waved from up ahead.
Nina gave a slight nod and walked over.
"Your luggage is all checked in. Here's your boarding pass. It's business class with a window seat," Bella said. "Don't you want to take a couple of days to rest before flying out? The flight from Marston to Crestwood is eleven hours."
"No need." Nina took the boarding pass. "The project's about to kick off. I want to get back early."
Bella nodded, saying nothing more. After two years with Nina, she was used to Nina's straightforward style.
Nina didn't talk much, but she never wasted words. She was efficient, always got things done, and treated people kindly, but there was a quiet distance about her that made people careful not to overstep boundaries..
Nina lowered her head to check her phone, handling the last few emails. When she locked the screen, she accidentally saw her own face reflected in the screen.
Her features were still the same, but her whole demeanor was different now.