When the Fireworks Faded

On our ten-year anniversary, my billionaire boyfriend unclipped my safety harness and shoved me off a skyscraper.

I hit the safety net so hard my bones cracked. It knocked the wind out of me. When the panicked staff finally dragged my bleeding body back up, Brooks didn't even check if I was alive.

He was busy smiling at Maddie.

Maddie Sinclair is his rich childhood friend. She is autistic, and watching me suffer is her absolute favorite thing.

"Do it again, Brooks! Look at her face!" she laughed, waving her phone at him.

Brooks just looked relieved. Her autistic meltdown was over. All it took was almost snapping my neck.

Over the last ten years, this was my life.

When I lost my job, he bought a banner to celebrate with her.

When I was in a car crash, he let her stand outside my hospital room and laugh at my injuries.

Every year on her birthday, he made me dress up as a clown just to keep her entertained.

He knew pushing me without a harness could have killed me. But keeping his friend happy was all that mattered to the great CEO.

I only took the abuse because I needed his money.

But as my own blood dripped into my eyes, blurring his face, I was just too tired.

I finally wanted to give up.

Avery

On the drive back to Maddie's house, she suddenly broke the silence in the SUV.

"Thanks, Brooks. I actually had a really good time today."

Brooks's tense posture relaxed instantly.

"That's all that matters," he said softly. "I just wanted to see you smile."

He pulled up to her building, his eyes glued to her until she disappeared inside. Meanwhile, I sat right next to him, clothes ruined, my forehead still steadily bleeding.

He hadn't looked at me once.

He pulled back into traffic. I stared out the window in dead silence. It wasn't until we hit a red light that he finally acknowledged me.

"Are you pissed?"

A drop of blood hit the back of my hand. Brooks tossed a napkin from the console into my lap. He tapped his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel, waiting for the light to change.

"I didn't have a choice," he justified, staring at the road. "Maddie's episodes are getting worse. Seeing you... mess up, it's the only thing that snaps her out of it."

When he finally glanced at me, his eyes were filled with genuine guilt and heartache—but it was entirely for her. Not for me.

"We grew up together. Right before her parents died, they made me swear I'd always look out for her." As if anticipating my pushback, he reached for the glovebox. "Look, her therapist's latest evaluation even says—"

"So as long as she gets a good laugh, it wouldn't matter if I broke my neck?"

I stared straight ahead, cutting his excuse short.

Brooks froze, the words dying in his throat.

The light turned green, and impatient horns blared behind us. He finally snapped out of it.

Hitting the gas, he grabbed his phone with one hand. A second later, my screen lit up with a Zelle notification.

"This is for Clara's medical bills next month," he muttered, his tone shifting into defensive annoyance. "Avery, try to cut me some slack here."

I looked down at the glaring screen. Opening my text thread with Brooks, I slowly scrolled up.

There were barely any actual conversations. Just an endless string of digital transfers and Apple Pay receipts.

Ten years. Every time he crossed the line for Maddie, he just threw his wealth at me to shut me up.

"Alright, the money's there. Let's just drop it," he sighed, casually brushing off my near-death experience like it was a minor inconvenience. "I'll drop you at the clinic to get that cut looked at."

I didn't say a word. There was no point. We had been together for ten years, yet my time never really belonged to me.

The SUV fell quiet again.

Suddenly, his phone rang. Brooks glanced at the caller ID and slammed on the brakes.

The violent halt sent a blinding shot of pain through my skull.

"Where are you? Hold on, I'm turning around!"

Brooks's voice was strung tight with raw panic. There was only one person on earth who could get that reaction out of him. Maddie.

He checked his mirrors to pull a U-turn and looked at me.

"Avery, the clinic is only three blocks down. You can walk from here."

My head was pounding in rhythm with my heartbeat. A crushing weight pressed down on my chest, leaving me breathless.

"Is she completely alone? Does it absolutely have to be you?" I managed to choke out.

"My head is killing me. Even if you want to go to her, can't you at least drop me at the ER doors first?"

But Brooks wasn't even listening.

He reached over and hit the unlock button.

"I don't have time for this right now. Get out."

My fingers went numb. I pushed the heavy door open and stepped onto the pavement.

He peeled away before I could even close it, leaving me standing in his dust.