"Vivienne, don't say I'm heartless. All you have to do is apologize and promise you'll never compete with Bianca again. Then I'll forgive you."
Bianca clung to his arm, smiling sweetly. "Come on, Viv. Anthony's already giving you an out. Don't be stubborn."
"Besides, gold diggers like you only care about money. Since when do you deserve a real title? Don't go playing the saint when we all know what you really are."
Anthony pinched her cheek indulgently. Not a word of objection.
I knew what he was doing. This was how he kept me in line.
Breaking me down until I learned to take it quietly, to stay in my place as his dirty little secret. The girlfriend who would never see the light of day.
I said nothing. I calmly slipped my phone into a waterproof pouch.
Then I climbed over the railing and threw myself into the sea without a second thought.
Screams erupted behind me. Anthony's eyes went wide with shock.
I swallowed my terror and swam hard toward the shore.
But the winter ocean was brutal. The cold seeped into my bones, and the coastline was impossibly far. My limbs grew heavier with every stroke.