Chapter Three: Nora

At six-thirty Sunday morning, Callum's alarm went off.

On weekends he usually slept until ten. I turned my head and read the reminder on the screen: Sienna's rehearsal.

He spent a long time in the bathroom. Then he stood in the walk-in closet, skipped past an entire row of coats I'd bought him, and took down a camel overcoat I'd never seen before. Last of all, standing at the mirror, he slid a thin platinum band onto his ring finger.

I'd seen its twin on Sienna's hand.

He came out, saw me sitting up in bed with my tablet, and stopped.

"Why aren't you making breakfast? Theo said yesterday he wanted your fried eggs."

I didn't look up. "Aren't you in a hurry? Grab something on the way."

Theo was in the living room waiting for breakfast and heard me. He ran in, pulled a face at me, then clapped both hands over his ears.

"I'm never talking to you again!"

I swiped the screen and picked a different movie.

They hadn't been gone an hour when the bank called.

"Mrs. Ashford, the jewelry set you had in your safe-deposit box was removed by Mr. Ashford this morning."

My hand jerked and the tablet slid to the floor.

The sapphires had been my mother's. They were the only thing of value I owned. Even in the two years Callum's company was desperate for cash, I hadn't been able to sell them.

I called him. One ring, and he declined it. I called again. Declined again.

On the eighteenth try, he finally picked up, sounding bored.

"Sienna's semifinal look needs some vintage jewelry. She's borrowing it for two days. It's not like she's going to lose it. What's the big deal?"

I hung up, grabbed my keys, and ran down to the car.

Backstage at the competition venue, rehearsal had just wrapped.

Sienna was lounging on a velvet couch, and at her ears and her throat was a deep blue glint. My mother's sapphires.

Theo stood beside her, fanning her like a little courtier, so sweet and well-behaved I barely recognized him. Callum sat next to her, rubbing her shoulders.

A makeup artist murmured, "Sienna's godson is more devoted than most people's real kids."

"Sienna. Give me back what's mine."

The words were barely out before someone shoved me to the floor.

It was Sienna's manager, Dana. "Who the hell are you? You think someone like Sienna needs to take your stuff?"

Callum stood up, frowning. "Nora, I told you it's just for two days. You really had to come make a scene here?"

"Don't be mad. I'm sure this is just a little misunderstanding between sisters." Sienna smiled, all sweetness and reason. "I'll give the jewelry back. Sit down, have some water, calm down."

But Dana gave a cold little laugh and nodded at two big assistants behind her.

"You barge in and insult someone, you pour her a cup of tea and apologize."

They took me by both arms, forced me down in front of the coffee table, and shoved a teapot into my hand.

"Let go of me!"

Callum looked away. He sounded disappointed in me. "Nora, it's just an apology. Do you have to make everything so ugly?"

I gritted my teeth and poured.

Sienna took the cup. Her lips barely touched it before it slipped from her fingers and shattered.

"It's so hot!"

"Oh my God!" Dana shrieked. "You can't even check the temperature before you pour? Are you trying to burn her throat? She's competing tomorrow!"

She slapped me across the face.

"You're going to learn your lesson today."

One of the assistants brought over a mug. Inside was boiling-hot chili water, red so dark it was almost black, steam curling off the top.

I tried to scramble backward. I looked at Callum.

"Callum! Callum, make them stop!"

He stood there with his hands in his pockets and didn't move.

The next second, someone clamped my jaw open and poured it down my throat.

It was like swallowing fire. It burned from the root of my tongue all the way to my stomach. I convulsed, tears and snot streaming down my face, and I couldn't even scream.

When they let go, I lay on the floor heaving, again and again.

Callum's polished shoes stopped in front of my face.

"Dana was just looking out for Sienna. She went easy on you, so don't put on a show. You trashed Sienna in the group chat. Now we're even."

They threw the sapphires into my lap, and the two assistants dragged me out the back door.

The next day was the semifinal.

Sienna stepped into the spotlight in a white dress, and the applause was deafening.

She smiled and raised the mic, and before she sang a note, her face changed. Her in-ear monitor was dead silent.

Bang. The confetti cannons, meant for the end of her song, went off early. But what came fluttering down over the stage wasn't streamers. It was hundreds and hundreds of white cards.

Someone in the audience screamed. "Look behind her!"

Sienna turned around.

On the enormous screen at the back of the stage was a single line of white text, centered like a death notice:

Congratulations to Ms. Sienna Weir on successfully sleeping with my husband, Callum Ashford.

Every card drifting down said exactly the same thing.

For three seconds, the whole place was silent. Then it erupted.

"Wait, what? Sienna's the other woman?"

"It's a stunt, right?"

"What kind of stunt is that?"

In the front row, Callum shot to his feet. Next to him, Theo craned his neck, looking all around.

I knew who they were looking for.

I'd paid off two stagehands to arrange this little surprise. Looked like it was worth the money.

"Turn it off! Turn the screen off!" Sienna had gone white. "It's fake! Somebody's setting me up!"

I took off my face mask and stood up from my seat.

"Oh? Then tell us. Who's setting you up?"

The moment she saw me, something vicious flashed in her eyes. Then it was gone, replaced by a look of pure hurt.

"Sis, I know you've been jealous of me ever since your voice was ruined. Jealous that Theo's closer to me. But how could you spread lies about me and your husband in front of all these people? Do you have any proof?"

I lowered my eyes. My voice dropped.

"...No."

I said it quietly, but the front rows heard every word.

Sienna came straight down off the stage. "You all heard that, right? She has no proof! I'm willing to let it go, but she has to apologize to me in front of everyone!"

Callum came over with Theo, looking at me like I'd lost my mind.

"Nora, are you done? Are you trying to destroy her? Even if there were something going on, couldn't we deal with it at home, behind closed doors?"

All over the audience, Sienna's fans were getting to their feet.

"Apologize!"

"Get on your knees and apologize!"

"Kneel! Kneel! Kneel!"

The chant grew louder and louder. The color came back into Sienna's face. She stepped up close to me, her lips almost touching my ear.

"A few stupid cards, and you think you can take me down? Sis, you'll never beat me."

I smiled.

Then I lifted my head and let that ragged, ugly voice of mine carry through the whole arena:

"Who said I don't have proof?"