Scars To Gold: A Queen's Rise

Ignatz didn't come back for two days. I spent the time in a daze, moving through the silent apartment like a zombie. I took down our pictures, packing his clothes into boxes. I even took off my wedding ring. It slid off my finger with no resistance. I had lost so much weight, I hadn't even noticed.

I dropped it into the trash can. It made a dull, final thud.

Then, a text message from him lit up my phone.

Can you do me a favor? There's a blue velvet box in my top drawer. A courier is coming to pick it up in an hour. Have it ready for him.

I went to his drawer. Inside was a small, elegant box from a famous jewelry designer. I opened it. Nestled on the black velvet was a diamond necklace, the kind of ostentatious piece I would never wear. I remembered him showing it to me online months ago.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he'd said. "I'm going to buy it for the most important person in my life."

I had thought he meant me.

Staring at the necklace, a bitter laugh escaped my lips. I closed the box.

When the courier arrived, a young man in a crisp uniform, I handed him the package without a word.

"Ma'am, the destination is the St. Regis Hotel," he said, confirming the details.

"I know," I said, pulling my purse from the hook by the door. I took out the folded divorce agreement. "I'm going with you."

The car ride was silent. The St. Regis was hosting a massive press conference for Everleigh's new movie. As we pulled up, I could hear the roar of the crowd and the frantic clicking of cameras.

I walked into the ballroom. The noise died down instantly. Every head turned. Every camera swiveled to face me. I was wearing a simple dress and no makeup. My hair was pulled back in a messy bun.

Whispers erupted around me.

"Is that her? The stalker?"

"What is she doing here? Look at how she's dressed. No class."

I ignored them all. My eyes were fixed on the stage at the front of the room, where Ignatz and Everleigh were standing, holding hands.

Ignatz saw me, and his face tightened into a knot of anger. "Genevieve? What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed as I approached.

I didn't answer. I just held out the blue velvet box.

"You forgot this," I said, my voice surprisingly steady.

Everleigh snatched the box from my hand and opened it with a gasp of delight. "Oh, Iggy! It's beautiful!"

She turned to him, pouting. "Put it on me. Right now."

Ignatz hesitated for a fraction of a second, his eyes darting between me and her. Then, his face hardened, and he took the necklace. His fingers brushed against her skin as he fastened the clasp.

Everleigh leaned in and kissed him full on the lips, her eyes locked on me the entire time. It was a declaration of victory.

I stood there, silent.

Then, she did it again. She let out a tiny gasp and staggered, pretending to lose her balance. "Oh!"

"Gen, I warned you!" Ignatz roared, lunging forward to steady Everleigh. He glared at me, his face contorted with rage. "Are you trying to hurt her?"

I said nothing. I just held out the divorce agreement I had been clutching in my hand.

He barely glanced at it. Everleigh suddenly clutched her stomach. "Iggy, I don't feel well. My stomach hurts."

"What?" His attention snapped back to her, all thoughts of me and the papers gone. "Okay, baby, okay. Let's get you to the hospital."

"The papers, Iggy," I said, holding them out again. "Sign them."

"Just sign it so she'll leave!" Everleigh moaned, pressing herself against him.

Without even reading it, he snatched a pen from a nearby table, scribbled his name on the line, and shoved the document back at me.

Then he swept Everleigh into his arms and started pushing his way through the crowd of reporters. "Let us through! It's an emergency!"

I clutched the signed papers to my chest and turned to leave. As I walked away, someone deliberately stuck out a foot.

I went down, hard.

My head hit the marble floor with a sickening crack. The world exploded in a flash of white-hot pain.

I heard gasps from the crowd. Through a haze of pain, I saw Ignatz stop and look back. He took a half-step toward me, his face a mess of confusion.

"Iggy, let's go!" Everleigh whined, tugging on his arm. "She's just faking it for attention."

He looked from me, lying on the floor with blood starting to pool around my head, to her. He hesitated for one more second.

Then he turned and left, disappearing into the flashing lights of the paparazzi.

I lay there, the polished floor cold against my cheek. My vision was blurring. People were staring, whispering, pointing. No one moved to help.

With a groan, I pushed myself up. My head was spinning. I realized my wedding ring was gone. It must have flown off when I fell. The ring that had been so loose on my finger. A symbol of a marriage that had been hollow for a long, long time.

I didn't even look for it.

Ignoring the stares and the cameras, I stumbled to my feet, my legs shaking. I walked, one foot in front of the other, out of the ballroom and into the street.

I flagged down a taxi. The driver's eyes went wide when he saw the blood on my face.

"Hospital?" he asked, his voice full of alarm.

I wiped a smear of blood from my cheek with the back of my hand.

"Yeah," I said, a grim smile touching my lips. "But I'm not gonna die."