He walked toward me, slow and deliberate, and tore the protective charm necklace from my throat. The one he'd made with his own hands when he earned his first real money.

Then he turned to his assistant.

"Call the police. My wife committed theft. Caught red-handed."

I forgot how to move. My mind went blank.

Noel's rise had never been gentle. He was used to being ruthless.

I had been his only soft spot.

Right or wrong never mattered. He always chose his people over the truth.

And now the person driving the knife into my chest was him.

Noel rubbed his thumb across the charm, his cold features growing more and more unrecognizable through my blurred vision.

"Brooklyn, you've been very disobedient. Go in and reflect on that for a few days."

"Don't worry, it won't be long. When you come out, I'll put the necklace back on you myself."

I twisted my lips into something that might have been a smile.

I watched the officers walk in. As the cuffs closed around my wrists, I pulled my hand free of his grip, my face perfectly blank.

The sudden emptiness in his palm made Noel frown. He stared at my retreating back, seized by the irrational feeling that he would never hold on to me again.

He was about to step forward when Florence caught his arm first.

"Noel, thank you for standing up for me. I was so scared just now."

Noel clicked his tongue and pinched her cheek, indulgent as ever. "What do you want as compensation?"

Florence plucked the charm from his hand with a grin and tossed it into the trash.

When his expression shifted, she immediately let her eyes redden with hurt. "Is it that important?"

She made a show of reaching for the trash can. "I'll fish it out for you, then. You two have known each other since you were kids. Even if she hurt me, I don't want to put you in a difficult position."

Noel pulled her in by the waist, his heart melting completely. "Nothing's more important than you. Don't dirty your hands. Here, take my black card. Buy whatever you want."

Florence puffed her cheeks and refused. "I don't want your money. I only love you."

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm the one who wants to spend it on you. If you don't let me, I won't feel right."

Only then did Florence accept the card, making a reluctant show of it.

Three days later, I was led out of the detention cell in a daze.

Taken straight to a private lounge at a members-only club.