the full extent of Ethan' s be

shame was too raw

gs were bad, that

never you' re ready to talk, darling. Just

hear the steel in his voice when he said, "You'

y' d always been wary of his impulsive nature, h

a way to protect her, to give her an escap

n knowing it existed. It wa

ticket to Paris for

day in a daze, movi

leaving behind everything that remind

t alien, stripped

ome late the

eyes bloodshot. He' d

suitcases b

this?" he asked

carefully neutral. "I' m going

Okay. Good idea. We... we

s over. That she would eventually for

s time was different. This

r, tried to t

hed, step

ned. "

she said, her voice fla

, her heart a cold

the ceiling, listening to h

e could hear th

he bedroom, she pre

into bed, leaving a w

then. Faint, bu

Sweet, cloying. On his

After destroying Alex' s wor

was like a fresh

she wouldn' t notice

ing in his sleep,

ssie

le tear escaping and tracing

her was a stran

already up and dressed when

hone, his voice

ll handle it... Jus

p when he

casual tone. He ran a hand through

ing herself a coffee.

counter. He glanced at i

saw i

ed up the phone, h

o go," he said.

riefcase, hesita

when you get back from Paris, ok

t. He thought this was

her eyes empty.

tone, but then his

it, then rushe

he was going.

vious night with, the woman w

d to keep in his life, along

e woul

th of them. He wanted the stability and respectability A

ave his cake a

be a part of h

t was tha

e hours tick b

eedom. A step further away from t

ine years together. The g

eam now, a distant me

m had curdled into a bitter

o fixing this. N

was

s. She took one last look around th

st a collection of expensive

the door behind her wi

clicking into place wa

ckage to the Prescott famil

notarized

' s sustained betrayal, the em

ed texts Cassandr

Cassandra' s t

e irrefutable pro

s Clause

py to her parents in Paris.

l and business footholds. He wou

ind out the true p

shares in Prescott

nd, frozen f

uary, would be off-l

step, but he had

heir love, their t

d face the c

rds JFK, Alex felt a

decision made. A pa

n future awaite

be her future

han Prescott