tly in the passenger seat, my mind racing, trying to process the

deep concern. When we pulled up to my house, Ethan was standing on the porch, illum

stepped forward, his expressionless

with an underlying current of something that fel

I said, my voice still

nd. "Make sure she gets inside safely," he said, his voice polite but firm. Then he loo

is car, leaving me on the porc

the first thing I

I said, the words s

er end of the line. "What? Sarah, wha

ately. While I waited for her, I started my real work. I logged into the Carter-Miller AI corporate network.

mited credit line linked to the company, the access to exclusive clubs and services, the car registered in the company' s name. One by one, I severed the threads of the l

met Laura at a s

that makes sense. The hospital must have made a mistake, a mix-up of identit

anation. "But why wouldn' t he contact me the mome

gently. "Maybe he found out about Ethan, and it... compli

s up from a seven-year coma to find the love of

attend as part of my quiet re-entry into the corporate world. She was there with a new man, a

room and made a beeline for

d enough for everyone nearby to hear. "If it isn' t the ice queen h

on calm. "Brittany. I see you' ve

she said, gesturing to the man beside her. "He' s

cool. "You always did have a talent

ortable, clearly not expec

he said, trying to d

a venomous whisper. "Ethan will come back to me. You' ll see. He

the phone I paid for, in the house I owned, to con

ng across my face. "For someone who claims to be so in lo

t, who was now looking at Brittany wi

d slapped her. "What

htly. I took a sip of my ch

y back, full of hatred. But I could also feel the eyes of the other guests, their expre

as leaving, a waiter hande

me to give this to

handwriting was n

. Meet me tomorrow, 10 a.m., at

A

se. That was our place, the

aiting up for me, his face

e demanded. "You did

ty gala," I said,

"You need to stop trying to punish me. Reinstate my credit

Your expenses are no longer my concern, Et

his voice taking on a desperate e

cold and final. "We had a contr

grand foyer of a house that was no longer his home. He w