her suitcase down the long gravel driveway of the Gonzal

to school since she was a little girl, was waiting by the wrou

hick with emotion. "Let me drive you one last time

ached, but she set her jaw

of cash and pressed it firmly in

uiet but firm. "You've taken care of my family for tw

rned away quickly, blinking hard, and go

d Manhattan. Carolina stared out the window, watching her old life recede b

posing stone steps of the B

entrance in a sharp, charcoal bespoke suit. Amidst the casual morning

-eyed executive assistant, clutching

d changed into a simple black dress-

pt over her, pausing briefly on her pale

eeting. He simply ga

document. "The prenuptial agreement, Miss Gonzalez. We have a con

e papers on the polished mahogany table. She flipped through the pages with steady hands. Her eyes registered

A clause requiring her to fulfill

ds implied. But she had already made her decision. She w

ow tab. Each stroke was sharp, deliberate. When she f

on

he signatures with clinical precisio

flat against the small of her back. Carolina did not pul

at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau, escorted stra

tandard vows, his voice shakin

said. His voi

's eyes, pinning her in place. S

er voice was quiet,

clerk stamped the marriage certificate and

ner pocket of his suit jacket, right over his heart.

e Boyle family