"I’ll take you to the hospital right now!"
Without hesitation, he swept her up into his arms and strode toward the car.
He didn’t look back.
I stood frozen at the entrance of the auction house, the sting of his abandonment settling deeper than the cold night air.
The force with which he had thrown me off wasn’t light. Pain pulsed through my wrist, and when I glanced down, fresh blood seeped through the bandages.
Leaning against the wall, I bit down hard, forcing back the pain, forcing back everything.
Only when the sharp sting dulled to a throbbing ache, did I manage to stand upright again, my breaths shallow and uneven.
I called Mathias. Once. Twice. A dozen times.
No answer.
The auction house, built halfway up the mountain for privacy, was as deserted as my calls. Not a single taxi in sight.
With no other choice, I forced myself to walk, step by agonizing step, down the uneven path.
My fifteen-centimeter heels wobbled against the jagged stone, and my floor-length gown dragged like a dead weight over the rough ground.
The night wind howled through the trees, carrying a fine drizzle that seeped into my skin, chilling me to the bone.
A single misstep. That was all it took.