hat way she used to find so charming. Now, it looked

evulsion, so strong it was almost a physical shock, shot up her arm. His touch felt like a

ttle, fragile thing, but in the d

tor was silent. The drive

ristmas. A trip to the Amalfi Coast next spring. Every word, every shared dream h

right noises at the right times.

op. The video. Where was the video? On a hard drive? In

n her mouth. She pushed a piece of seared tuna around her plate, th

ow furrowed with perfect, practiced con

aris trip," she lied, the words feeling clumsy a

immediately, signaling for

se it almost made her dizzy. She just had to

ity felt like a mockery. As Damian poured them both

een lit

over her. Her vision blurred. She snatched the phone, turning a

on the balcony," she

stracted by a notific

her face, a welcome sho

about her trip, about her day. Then, his voice filled with an almost boyish ex

etonate her life and her family's reputation. A hand o

managed to say, her vo

warehouse fire... it's a mess. A huge loss. But don't you worry

der attack, shattered the last of her composure. She was the reason for this

t let them fall for long. She scrubbed them away with a vicious anger. The grief was still

ed to be somewhere safe, somewhere she could think. She

e would get suspicious. She

, carefully arranging her features i

his phone. "Everything

. Finally, she looked at him, her eyes wide and troubled.

n. This was not a convers

your mother. Eleanor. She's never liked me. She thinks I'm not good enough for you." This was t

k... I think I need a little space. Some time to think about us." She looked

their depths. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by a loo

my mother. We'll sort this out." He was playing the part of the

out to Long Island first thi

o be in the same room with him for another seco

closed the door behind her and, for the first time in three

l wood of the door until s

on that hit her was profound, a soul-deep weariness. She curle

his words from the study play

ed, stu

he naive Julia Whitney, was gone. She had di

to get t

ver i