His eyes went cold. “Don’t blame me. You did this to yourself.” 

The basement was freezing, damp, lit by one sad little bulb. 

Simon stood in the doorway, shadowed and unreadable. 

“You’re staying here till the trial,” he said, all ice. 

The second he finished, his guys shoved me in. 

I slammed into the wall—pain shot through my shoulder. 

“Ugh—” 

I winced, biting back the sound, glaring up at him. 

Simon paused, then muttered for them to untie me. 

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a necklace, glittering with diamonds. 

“Heidi…” His voice tried for soft. “I had this made for you. Think of it as… goodwill.” 

He held it out, the gems catching the dim light, all sharp edges and fake promises. 

I didn’t budge. Just stared him down. 

“What, trying to bribe me now? Afraid I’ll run?”