Page 154 of Lavish

We struggled—hands grappling, knocking over a candelabra as we slammed against the wall. One of the tall candles tumbled to the floor near the velvet drapes.

I didn’t see the flame at first. Not until I heard the soft hiss and the sudden whoosh of ignition.

“You ungrateful little bitch,” Jenese snarled. “I’m the only one who cared about you. You were like a daughter to me! I taught you how to win!”

I saw a fire starting near the curtain, smoke rising. Jenese knocked me over with the wooden chair; it shattered when I fell.

“I gave you everything. You can give me this. I deserve it. I’ve worked so hard!”

“You didn’t give me shit.” I got up and shoved her—hard—but she came right back. She grabbed a fistful of my hair, jerking my head back, and the photo fluttered to the floor between us.

We both looked at it, and she went to dive for it, and that’s when I saw it—the Riesling bottle, still standing on the edge of the table.

I grabbed it and swung.

CRACK.

Glass shattered against her shoulder and cheek. Wine sprayed everywhere—onto me, onto her, onto the floor. Jenese shrieked, stumbling back, hand flying to her face as blood ran bright and fast down her cheekbone and she collapsed.

Oh shit, I may have killed her.

The spilled alcohol lit up quickly. With terrifying speed, fire snaked up the corner of the wall. Smoke began to fill the room and I coughed as it filled my lungs.

Jenese, like something out of a horror film, slowly lifted up, and turned to me with bloodshot eyes. “I’ll kill you before I let you leave with that photo or my property.”

Just as the front door burst open.

MILES

Thirty Minutes before the Fire…

“This is a fucking mistake,” I muttered to myself.

Why was I here when I should be back at my home, pleading with Serena? It was over, wasn’t it? She wanted to tell me that we were done again. I couldn’t…I couldn’t let her walk away from me. If she looked me in the eye and said she was done, I still couldn’t give up on us. I don’t got that in me.

If I had to get on my knees every damn day and beg her not to go, I would.

This marriage? It might’ve started as some family arrangement—but somewhere along the line, it became mine. Ours. And I’d fight for it. For her. I loved her. Ain’t no way was I letting her forget that.

I stepped to Erik’s front door. I reached up to knock, but it swung open before I could.

“I told youno,Erik! I can do this on my own.”

I was surprised to see Noelle rushing out of his house, fury in her face, buttoning up her shirt.

What the hell is going on here?

“Nellie.” Erik followed after her, shirt open. “Please, just listen.”

“No. Because if I listen, I’ll stay,” she bit out, spinning around to face him on the porch. “And you know I can’t afford to stay.”

“You already did,” Erik said, voice low, intimate. “You stayed last night.”

“That was a mistake. Stay out of my business, Erik.”

I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling like a voyeur.

Both heads snapped toward me. Erik blinked in surprise. Noelle’s face shuttered in an instant.