The rain was deafening, a relentless drumbeat against the asphalt of the bridge.

Aria dropped the umbrella. It tumbled away in the wind, cartwheeling across the road, useless. She didn’t care. She ran the last few steps, grabbing Vivienne by the arm just as she swayed dangerously close to the edge.

“Vivienne! Stop!” Aria screamed, her voice tearing through the storm.

Vivienne turned, her face a mask of ruined mascara and despair. She looked small. Broken. The fierce, untouchable executive was gone, replaced by a shivering girl who had lost everything.

“Aria?” Vivienne choked out. “Go away. You shouldn’t be here. I’m toxic. Dad said… Dad said I’m dead to...