to hail a cab. Her mind was a blank, blessedly empty of Preston, of the party, of e

t empty space. Her keys. Her car keys were still in

, careless things. The thought of going back into tha

e party's energy seemed to have recovered from the drama. The music was loud again, people were la

curious respect, but she ignored them. Her only

st there whe

ched only by his family's fortune, had Vanessa cornered near the

rred, his voice oily. "Just one

ce a mask of distress. "Harrison, pl

aching out to grab her

e part that was still raw and bleeding, felt a grim, ironic satisf

she saw

ich had been aimlessly scanning the crowd, locked onto

his face morphed in

rn. He crossed the room in five long strides, grabbed the whi

the music like a gunshot. The party scre

on't you ever touch her," he snarled, his voice low and guttur

nd stroking her hair. He buried his face in her shoulder, shielding her from the world. "It's okay," h

solute. It was a declaration. He

e tableau: the shattered glass on the floor, the stunned faces of the guests, a

e would stand between her and the world, a fierce, un

was se

n in his arm

e had been doubt, accusation, a demand to apologize. For Vanessa, t

finally, completely extinguished. There was no pain left. No anger. Just a vas

cally searched the crowd. He was looking for her. He wanted her

s, the woman who felt nothing at all, who simply turned, her

hum. In the rearview mirror, she could see the bright lig

into the stream of traffic, melting into