---- Chapter 5 Joana stood up abruptly. "I'm tired. I'm going home." Darius immediately got to his feet. "I'll take you." His friends surrounded him, pulling him back down. "No way, man! You just got here! Let your driver take her. You stay." Joana gently pulled her hand from his grasp. "It's fine," she said, her voice cool and distant. "Stay with your friends. I'll see you at home." She turned and walked out before he could protest. As she slid into the backseat of the car, she felt something hard in the pocket of the jacket he had placed over her shoulders. It was his other phone. His "work" phone. A cold dread washed over her. "Turn around," she told the driver. As they pulled up to the villa's long driveway, she saw a familiar figure getting out of a sports car. It was Kaylee Owens, touching up her lipstick in the car's side mirror. She walked toward the entrance of the villa with a confident sway of her hips. An instinct she couldn't explain made Joana get out of the car. She slipped through a side gate, her heart pounding a ---- heavy, painful rhythm against her ribs as she moved through the landscaped garden. Kaylee walked straight to the main party room Joana had just left. The large glass doors leading to the terrace were slightly ajar. Joana watched from the shadows of a large palm tree as Kaylee threw herself into Darius's arms. He caught her easily, a lazy smile on his face. He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You got here fast." "| missed you," Kaylee purred, snuggling against his chest. He chuckled, a low, intimate sound. "You deserve a reward for that." He leaned down and kissed her, a deep, hungry kiss that was nothing like the chaste pecks he gave Joana. His friends cheered and whistled. "Get a room, you two!" No one seemed surprised. They all knew. They had all been part of the elaborate play, acting for her benefit just moments before. Joana stood frozen in the garden, a cold wave of nausea rising in her throat. They were all in on it. They had all been laughing at her. "Alright, let's hear some boasts!" one of the friends shouted, and the women from before were quickly invited back inside from the terrace. The atmosphere turned raucous and debauched. ---- The host raised his glass. "Alright, Madden!" he yelled over the music. "You go first. Tell us, what's the wildest thing you've done recently?" Darius leaned back, a smug look on his face. He glanced at Kaylee, who was blushing and hiding her face in his chest. "Yesterday," he said, his voice casual. "In the car." The room exploded with laughter and applause. "And how was it?" another friend pressed. Darius grinned, looking down at Kaylee with a possessive gleam in his eyes. "Unforgettable." "See! Wildflowers are always better than the ones at home!" someone shouted. "Every man needs a few on the side!" "Just make sure the wife never finds out," another added, laughing. "We'll cover for you, man. Joana will never know." At the mention of her name, Darius's smile vanished. His expression turned deadly serious. "Don't you ever let her find out," he growled, his voice low and menacing. "You have no idea what she'll do. I'll kill any of you who lets this slip." His friends immediately sobered, raising their hands in mock surrender. "Got it, man. Your secret is safe with us." Every word, every laugh, every casual betrayal drifted through the warm night air and stabbed into Joana's heart. The villa was alive with noise and music, but her world had gone silent ---- and cold. Her body felt numb. Her legs trembled as she turned and walked away, a zombie moving through a nightmare. The driver saw her and rushed to help, but she waved him away. "Don't take me home," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper. "And don't tell him | was here." The driver hesitated, then nodded. He watched as she disappeared into the night. It started to rain, a cold, miserable downpour. Joana didn't notice. She just walked, the icy water soaking her to the bone, her mind a maelstrom of pain and betrayal. She didn't know how long she walked, only that the city lights blurred into a meaningless smear of color. An image flashed in her mind: a snowy night years ago, her ankle sprained, and Darius carrying her on his back all the way home, his warmth seeping into her, making her feel safe for the first time in her life. How had that love, that warmth, turned so cold, so quickly?