ar on the way home w

y broke it, her

volunteer? Do you kno

pson, just stared strai

other," I said, trying

or! You could have refused. W

"Be forced into another suitable match? One t

understand.

t remember

arp and brutal, as they alway

st

h Ethan Hayes. Blind

he Hayes, pushed for the union. A

wever, re

, the former President, deemed her

tacle. The woman for

her part perfectly. The

trust-fund degenerate. A quick, unhappy marri

the offic

an's grief turned into

d it all at me

ost Izzy, the reason she was forc

subtly. Whispers of my

d evidence. Lea

integrity, was dra

s reputation,

were frozen. Friends

t ever

hen he confronted me, after

e devoid of emotion. "You took her from

etween you," I had crie

pat. "You enjoyed the attentio

naive girl, caught in ambit

didn'

, suffered a stroke. He was left pa

thered, her

dead-end jobs, hounded by

ensuring no one would hel

nesty before the full downfall, "I want you to live a long life

ed alone, impoverishe

r of that past was a l

ter learned his name was from a discreet inq

own. A

ence for Ethan to

erstand my choice now,

all that

to my parents in the car. "But plea

tarted cryi

sighed, a sound

y life away out of youthful r

was desperately try

eemed surprised by my accepta

iness in his gaze

n't matter

ould hold onto him, no ma