ng garage of a towering glass high-rise in Tribeca. The car sl

seat before the engine fully cu

are feet hitting the polished epoxy floor. The cold seeped up through her soles, making her curl he

rushed steel elevator doors and pressed his thumb against a biome

at her. Chloe hurried inside

hange in pressure made Chloe's stomach drop. She closed her

and tapped a button on the panel. The elevator's ascent smooth

d directly into

oors, and floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a dizzying, panoramic view of the Manhattan skyline. There wa

ristine suit appear

butler, his tone clipped. "And have a set of

nd, registering the blood and the torn dress, but his expre

the hall. "Go shower

asterpiece of black marble and chrome. She stripped off the heavy, ruined wedding dress, letting it fall to the

ed, trying to wash away the feeling of

er was supposed to bring hadn't arrived yet. She opened the heavy oak closet door

put it on. The hem fell to her mid-thigh, the sleeves hanging past her fingertips. Sh

t door opening made h

g strode into the living room. Gus

anding in the hallway wearing nothing but his

Carlisle by the arm, dragg

to hide his panic. "Do you know who that is? That's Chloe Sinclair. The

of the hallway. Her fingers

ipping with disdain. "If the board finds out you brought that m

ok at Gus. He slowly raised the glass to his lips and took a sip. Then, h

s eyes were dead, devo

s voice made it infinitely more terrifying. "Who I bring into my h

zed the look in Carlisle's eyes-it was the look he got right be

of antibiotics on the counter, an

as right. She was a worthless piece of trash. She was the woman who had become a synonym for scandal.

ainst the wall. His shirt covered her delicate figure, and her wet hair clung to her cheeks. His

medicine bottle. "T

fly touching his. His skin was warm. "I'm sorry

. He simply turned ar

side intensified. Thunder

p, but her mind dragged her right back to the nightmare. She was back at the party.

her breath coming in short, panicked

contracts. He heard the muffled sounds of distress. He dropped h

ching out to shake her shoulde

r sleep, her voice broken and

stopped an inc

rd until they formed a tight fist. He grabbed the thick wooden edge of the nightstand. His knuckles tu

chest. He stood there in the dark, staring down at her, consumed by the