Once his footsteps faded on the carpeted stairs, I let out a long, slow breath.

Laura looked up from her prep station, her eyes meeting mine for a brief, silent second.

She didn’t say anything, but the tight line of her mouth told me she had heard every word.

I walked down the hallway toward the small guest bathroom on the first floor to change.

Annika had been very specific about the dress code for tonight.

“Wear something elegant, but don’t hide the arm,” she had told me over the phone that morning.

“We want every single person in that room to see what he did to you, even if they don’t know it yet.”

I reached into the closet and pulled out the sleeveless black silk dress I had chosen.

It was a beautiful dress, simple and expensive, but without sleeves, there was nowhere for the cast to hide.

The stark white fiberglass stood out violently against the dark fabric and my pale skin.

I struggled to pull the zipper up with only my left hand, my breath hitching as the movement pulled at the bruised muscles in my shoulder.