it five feet d

ng the delicate bones together. Arlie gasped as she was spun around and sl

hes from hers. He planted his hands on the wall on either side of her head, caging her in. Th

snarled, his voice low and dangero

ack, her chest heaving against his. "

ur passport, your driver's license, your credit cards-they are all in my safe. You don't have a

situation crashed over her. He was right. Sh

where he gripped her-that was sharp. That was real. She held onto it. Pain meant she

her voice trembling d

h hot on her cheek. "You will agree

down the hall. Voices drifted in from the

suing a final warning. "The party starts in ten minutes. You will wear what I give you. You will smile. You will play the loving wife. And if you

standing alone in the hallway, her wr

pagne corks popping and polite laughter filled the air. She was wearing the dress Killian's assistant had delivered directly to the powder room off the foyer-a tight

ickly looked away. She caught snippets of conversation. Mental

saw him. Julian was standing near the dessert table, holding a cupcake. Kaelyn

led warmly. "Oh, what a handsome little man!

ured tow

cupcake slipped from his hand, hitting the

sound piercing the pa

. The entire garden went silent. Eve

aming down his face. "She's a crazy lady! She mad

. She looked up at Arlie, her eyes brimming with fake tears. "Julian, pleas

sympathy. They saw a grieving, loving stepmother p

is face twisted in anger. "Look what

hissed, grabbing Arlie's arm

essed in on her, a physical weight crushing her

ound her upper arm. A

d, his voice smooth and apologetic. "My wife

his face remained a mask of concerned husband to the onlookers, he steered her through the crowd with unyielding force. Arlie stumbled in her heels, the pressure on

e ordered

utched the door handle, her heart hammeri

, his jaw clenched tight. "Somewhere you can't hurt

underground parking garage, the concrete pillars flashing

r and higher. When the doors opened, they stepped into a penthouse apartment. It was huge, minimalist, and c

or. He placed his thumb on the biom

said, his voice echoing in the empt

oor sealed behind him wit

the apartment. The windows didn't open. The door needed his fingerprint. She was fifty

stars. The fog in her head was so thick now she could barely form a thought. She was trapped. She had

oice whispered that the old Arlie would have known. The old Arlie would have