Chapter 5: The Edge of the Fall
Arthur invited Victoria home.
Just the two of them.
The same patio.
The same pool.
The same glittering city beneath them.
Victoria arrived dressed in white, radiant as ever.
“You’ve been distant,” she said, tilting her head. “Is everything alright?”
Arthur poured two glasses of wine.
“Perfect,” he said calmly.
He handed her one.
She took it without hesitation.
“You know,” Arthur continued, his voice steady, “I built my life understanding risk.”
Victoria smiled faintly. “That’s what makes you successful.”
“And what makes you dangerous,” Arthur replied.
Her smile faltered.
Just slightly.
Arthur stepped closer.
“I know who you are.”
Silence.
The air shifted.
“You pushed my daughter into that pool.”
Victoria didn’t deny it.
Instead, she exhaled slowly.
“And you destroyed my father.”
There it was.
Raw.
Ugly.
Truth.
“He lost everything because of you,” she continued, her composure cracking for the first time. “Do you know what that does to a family?”
Arthur’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t punish a child for that.”
Her eyes hardened.
“I wanted you to feel it.”
Arthur’s voice dropped, colder than the water below them.
“You failed.”
A quiet click sounded behind her.
Security.
Waiting.
Victoria’s expression changed—not fear.
Defeat.
“You’ll never understand,” she whispered.
Arthur didn’t respond.
He didn’t need to.
May you like
Because for the first time in his life—
He had chosen something more important than power.
