Chapter 1 - The Cold Concrete
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The freezing concrete beneath the Kensington estate in Greenwich felt like ice against my skin. My silk blouse clung to my back, soaked through with sweat and blood, while every shallow breath scraped against my fractured ribs.
I was lying facedown in the dark, staring at a crack in the floor. I couldn't feel the sharp agony anymore—just a dull, hollow numbness creeping from my limbs toward my chest.
The heavy iron basement door slammed open above, and footsteps echoed down the stone steps. They stopped right beside me.
"Ma'am," a hushed voice said.
David, my husband's longtime security chief, dropped to one knee. He looked around nervously before opening a black cloth bag containing gauze, anti-inflammatory pills, and a small bottle meant to slow bleeding.
"Mr. Kensington said we aren't calling a doctor," David whispered, his voice trembling. "He ordered me to leave you here until you've reflected on your mistake."
I forced my eyes open, my vision blurred. "What exactly did Julian say, David?"
David looked away, unable to meet my eyes. "He... he was furious, ma'am."
A cracked, bitter smile forced its way onto my lips. "He said I should remember this lesson—and never touch Maya Lawson again, didn't he?"
"Please stop talking, Mrs. Kensington. You're losing too much blood."
"Seventeen fractured bones. A ruptured spleen," I choked out, a thin trickle of crimson escaping the corner of my mouth. "Gauze isn't going to fix that."
David’s hands shook as he unrolled a bandage. "I can try to keep you alive a little longer."
I looked at the man who had worked for my husband for eight years. "David, I need a favor. A real one."
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He hesitated, peering back toward the dark staircase. "If Mr. Kensington finds out I helped you..."
"When I moved into this house six years ago," I whispered, my strength fading fast, "I brought a vintage red leather suitcase. Inside the false bottom is a green jade pendant. Bring it to me."
