d on a "roma

, wanted to reconnect b

exclusive rooftop restaurant, complete with a pr

ive, and utterly mea

e, holding her hand, order

art of the do

e, and she was his

he thought, watching him point ou

don't kn

zling her neck. "You're

ired,"

a comfort, now f

colors across the sky, camera flashes sudd

t anniversary celebratio

beamed. He pulled Maya i

m-the public. His new line of "empowerment" jewelry f

g a husband; he was

rling," he

felt like a prop, a com

Another perfect mome

d paid for, thanked them profusely b

nted to

his phone

baby, sorry," he'd

lection in the polished sil

cture of a woman's lips, pouty and seductive. The message underneath read:

am said abruptly, his composure

over Maya. She waited a mo

he path he'd taken, up a private staircase she hadn't

s marked: "The C

om within. She pressed h

c birthday ever!" It was Ava Sincla

ntimate rumble. "You think I'd book this place and

evening," the "reconnecting"-all of it, a lie cons

t made Maya's stomach churn. The rustle of silk. The suggestive clink o

va's voice was cloying, possessive. "That necklace.

voice. Only the casual confid

m promised. "I'll

was the kidney. It was the rare book. It was the supposed proof that he would walk

their life apart, piece by p

was so blat