a P

William stepped out of the mast

his silk tie, the scent of sharp colo

ving room sofa, watc

his morning," he informed me, casting

ersee the presentation f

, then crossed the room toward the sofa an

French dinner to make it up to you," he pro

his face, so

e compliant nod an

o his dark, unreadable eyes an

absent smile, turn

olid, final-sounding thud, excising his

gaze away fr

ack suitcase I had packed an

vast walk-in close

of expensive skincare

tion designer bags-the hollow apologies he had bought me

old, comfortable clothes, and the chipped ceram

behind me and walked ov

-anniversary ring he had brought home two nights ago, ar

uded, I grabbed the h

door without a

n the crowded street outs

ind brushed against my fa

htness moved through me, as if a great

nd opened William's e

e familiar voic

m, we a

e button. The

: three

ediately, his reply arriving

ers

other line of text

eting. Be a good girl.

hat patronizi

in sheer, unadu

ers of my eyes, but I fi

still did not list

ot type

sitation, I deleted t

sonal number, his encrypted account, and every

sing yellow cab and told the d

in a new city, three thousand miles aw

iam

g strategy meeting in the top-floo

nose against the dull, th

he heavy oak do

ht behind me, carrying

sk and pouted, her tone thic

ting, William. You tore my proposa

not re

to stir deep within my chest, a feeling entirely sep

to my lea

ly on the living room sofa this

n so unnervingly

cold panic cons

from the desk and swiped

stood I had blindly typed two hours

t sat a three-second v

played red do

reen, my brow furr

ly in the morning? She knew I had meetings

ered over the

de my own blood roar in my ears, I pressed my thum

loaded i

only sound the low hum of the

eady voice played thro

m, we a