decade as Mrs

was featured in magazines. "Manhatt

e, the charity galas, Ethan's n

g-sized bed with an oce

of a stormy sea, would skim over me

My guardian, the man who'd tak

ty. Champagne flowed. I found a

eady a force in t

he took wh

unfamiliar bedroom, he was alread

ice even. "I'll take r

rried me. I becam

. A wife, especially Ethan Cole's wife,

y. I'd landed the city's

e, I tried to

n's Foundation Gala. One of th

wn. Ethan liked blue. Or h

the hall mirror, his ref

Not looking at me,

es

nce. It was a fa

the crowd. Ethan was in his element, shaking hand

side, the per

ion near the ba

, was suddenly in the middle

hloe Davis, stood behind

ntly been too aggressive with C

hunderous. "Don't

d. Security

ld be about Ethan

st 67th. The air was stale, smel

his friend, Mark, a corporate

oth things over, be t

htly ajar. I hear

o much, just set her up in a quiet place. Ava's crazy abou

, laced with something I co

a dry, humo

's dif

eath

"Chloe has self-respect. She wouldn't just... offer herself up like tha

zzing fluorescent light

like

-res

hers

fe. Reduced to a girl who lac

eped through the old building

not truly. But I thought he respecte

s wr

ght I w

d the d

Mark stopp

ssion unreadable. "This is

ite. Alway

s too. "Sorry you had

tight to speak. I went

taking care

like m

lway