Someone pinch me and wake me up from this goddamn nightmare, please.

Kim and I are spending the evening at that godawful gala tonight, one of those events where rich people give money to even richer people to become the richest person on earth. It's basically a dick-measuring contest for white old men.

I fucking loathe it.

"Come on, Hay. Let's go dance!" Kim giggles as she tugs at my arm, and I almost groan when we reach the dance floor in the middle of the ballroom, her fingers interlacing with my own before she spins herself around. I noticed Kim is extraordinarily good at gathering attention—she seeks the spotlight with every seemingly insignificant thing she does, and I know she bathes in the knowledge that everyone's looking at us right now. This must be her dream come true.

And then it's like fate wants to flip me off, because mere seconds after I muster up a fake smile to pull through with this plan, one of those sappy love songs starts playing, and Kim immediately wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to rest her head on my chest. I feel like my skin is on fire with every touch we share, and while Kim cluelessly closes her eyes to swing to the slow rhythm, I watch with a frown how every single person around us has their eyes on me.

This is a nightmare.

And then my nightmare turns into full-on living horror when I notice Mila at the other side of the room, watching us from the emergency exit with narrowed eyes. The bruises on her face physically hurt my heart, and I just hope to hell and back that this shit show will be over soon.

"What is she doing here?" Kim asks through gritted teeth, her hands finally leaving my neck before she props them on her hips with a frown.

"I don't know, I swear," I answer, not knowing what else to say.

Kim doesn't seem too pleased with that answer. "Ugh, I thought I took care of her!" she mutters as she stomps in Mila's direction. Pulling me behind her like a dog, she follows Mila into the hallway behind the exit, her heels clacking on the ground while silence settles around us. "You!" she yells, pointing at Mila at the end of the hallway.

The sight of my hand in Kim's must not sit well with Mila, because she crosses her arms in front of her chest when we approach her, totally disregarding Kim's annoyance.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you too, Kim," Mila says with a raised brow, those familiar brown eyes holding so much pain that I want to just hold her until she feels better again. "Hayden Cross." Her voice is almost unemotional as she addresses me, her gaze settling on me for a painfully long second.

I haven't been to hell, but I'm pretty sure this must be it. This must be the worst thing I ever experienced, seeing my girlfriend looking bruised and hurt, while the woman I despise the most is holding on to me like it was her place to be.

"Stay away from him, you hear me? Haven't you done enough?" Kim asks, stepping in front of me and waving her finger around.

Mila's laugh echoes through the hallway, but it's not the beautiful, breathtaking laugh I'm so used to. I can only frown when she shakes her head, her eyes focused on me when she scoffs. "So this is your solution, huh? Blondie with fake nails and the emotional intelligence of a doorknob?"

Fuck. This is it.

If this situation wasn't so fucked up, her confidence would be sexy as hell. But this is the life we're living right now, and so I step in front of Kim as I retort, "Watch what you say to her, Mila."

The second the words leave my mouth, I feel the sting of a hand on my face. I instantly glance up to find Mila shaking her hand, sucking the air through her teeth with furrowed brows as she scowls.

Did she just slap me?

God, I hope she's okay...

"You'd better watch what you're doing to my boyfriend! You'll regret it!" Kim exclaims, and I can't help but shudder at her words. The mental image of that makes me want to vomit.

"How exactly will I regret that, Kim? Want to hire someone else to do your dirty work, huh?" Mila asks, waving her hand over her face, pointing at the different colored bruises.

"What are you talking about?" I ask, knowing this might be the moment we're waiting for.

Mila braces her hands on her hips with another scoff. "Come on, Hayden. Don't act like you don't know it. I have to admit, I'm surprised. Really didn't think you had it in you, Kim...but I guess I was wrong. The two of you belong together after all." She chokes out the words, and my heart breaks when I notice the tears in her eyes.

But even if I wanted to do something about them, even if I throw all plans overboard to hold my woman in my arms again, I don't get the chance to do that. Because mere seconds later, she wipes a tear from her eye and shakes her head one last time before she dashes out the door.

Taking a deep breath, I try to ignore the pain in my heart as I chant my mantra in my head. It's all a show. It's all a show...

"You really did that for me?" I get my act together and turn to look at Kim, who has that fake shy smile on her face, almost like she didn't just hire someone to beat up my girlfriend.

"I mean...yeah. She needed to be taught a lesson."

"And you actually hired someone to hurt her like that?" I ask again, needing to hear the answer.

"Yeah. Well, honestly, I was thinking of doing much worse..."

My eyes widen at her words. "Really?"

"Of course. I'd do anything to make sure she knows her place." She shrugs.

"Like what?"

She steps toward me with a sly grin on her lips, her hand on my chest when she whispers, "You really want to know?"