ssa's

k gave me this Cartier Love bracelet right after I cornered him and a junior analyst in a hotel suite. That night

unclasped the bracelet wit

s feet. It struck the wet paveme

scard his gift like trash wounded his arrogant

a cut in, looping her arm through his. "If you don't l

amped down on mine instead, his fingers d

it was nearly touching, his voice cold as he gave the o

a second's hesitation, Derek put his body between me and the knives and took a deep gash across his forearm-all to keep me sa

arm in the freezing rain so that his

y arm out

od of my car. Then I unzipped my leather boots and stepped out of them, bare feet in thin

exposed skin, raising go

, directly over my heart, a black t

a wedding band, with our wedding anniversary inscribed inside in tiny Roma

ze fell on

ly. He went rigid where he st

murmured, his voic

d?" I ask

sk how badly he'd been shaken. He snatched the coat o

n his voice betraying the tremor in

d walked down Brooklyn's cold, wet streets in m

tares blurring past me. By the time the private elevator delivered me to

n the heavy

expensive pinewood candles. In the living room, Derek sat on the Ita

ek's voice was soft with concern. "I

into him. "I think she layered the paint on thick on purpo

lly gashed my palm with a utility knife. Derek ran four blocks through a blizzard for antisept

over the ordinary muscle soreness of one po

t them and headed down the h

's furious voice

the bedroom. He grabbed my sh

hink you're goi

stand and took out my passport, my birth

said. "Anywh

ed loosely in one of Derek's silk robes, rubb

niffled. "It's all sore now. What if it

t redness on her shoulder and

?!" he roared, seizing both my wrist

the shooting pain in my shoulder. "She's so pampered she ca

excuses!" D

of fragile helplessness. "I'm sure Clarissa never meant to hurt our baby. S

mouth was a blade, hon

round my wrists until my joint

ward Alondra. "Get on your knees and apologize for wh

e held mine tight in the dark, the hands that had

g. I will not apolo

wled, his face twisted with rage. "Lower your head an