he bedroom floor in pale gray. Chloe hadn't slept. Her eyes were gritty

shmere, but in a severe, impeccably tailored Tom

om and made her way downstairs to the small, secondary study on the groun

irring the only sound in the silent house. Page after page of dense, legal tex

them into a simple manila envelope. She sealed the flap, forgoing

r tray with a single cup of coffee in her hands. Lena was in her late fifties, a woman who had worked for the Car

al attire, the stark envelope on the desk. H

"I'm leaving him, Lena," she

polished silver. Lena set the tray down on a side table, her hand flying

nspiratorial hush. "Be careful. The Carlisl

I'd rather have nothing than stay in this marriage for one more day." She met Lena's gaze, h

eezed Chloe's hand. "If it comes to court," she said, her voice thick w

eart. She gave Lena's hand a grateful squeez

wn the long corridor toward the morning room, wh

out of the dining room like a cannonball, slam

to steady him, but he slapped he

a grotesque parody of his father's. He pointed a finger at her nose. "A

ing her completely off guard. "

his hips in a posture of belligerent certainty. "She said

a shard of ice thr

es on his level. "Ethan, that's not true. What

back, his eyes, so much like Julia

You're a selfish monster! I

ing the air from her lungs. A suffoc

rd to grab Ethan's arm, to

d, grabbed a small, delicate orchid in a ceramic pot fr

elain and dark, damp soil exploded outwards, spat

t her feet, then at the furious, hostile child who was supposed to be he

son with him. She did

and walked toward the dining room