n the snow. Before me, the polished granite of Chloe Davis' s memorial gleamed under the weak winter sun

t all up for Julian Thorne. I used my family' s name, my fortune, my connection

ur home and forced me to kneel before it every night, chanting words of repentance for sins I didn't commit. He made me

my miscarriage, the loss of our unborn child. It led to my o

mpty and

opened

he bridal suite of the Grand Astoria Hotel, bathed in the golden light of late after

dding day. The

harm as effortless as breathing. He smiled, the same smile tha

ice a smooth, practiced caress. "I

silent, w

"She called. She's leaving the country tonight, forever. She thre

d conflict. This was the same speech he

oose end. For us. For our future. I need to go to her, to finally end that cha

ambers of my heart. I knew all about his s

not to go. I' d been insecure, terrified of los

would not b

gentle, understanding smile on

ised. He had ex

You're right. We need a clean slate. Go to the airpo

ind a mask of gratitude. He thought I was the same naive,

forehead. "You don't know what this means t

ed out, his steps

d to the full-length mirror, my reflection staring back at m

of power and privilege. In my last life, I had let a ma

r ag

me at the door.

seized.

smile was warm, but it faltered when he saw my face.

k and holding on like I was drowning. In my last life, Julian had ruined him. He' d framed Ethan for corpor

obbed into h

thing?" he asked, his voice instantly hard

my hand. I couldn't tell him everything. He'd

said, my voice gaining s

've been planning this for two years. You're obs

ink he is. He's a liar and a user, and he's been playing me this entire t

ith fury. "That bastard

he backing for his firm. He'll use our family until there's nothing left, and then he'll discard us." The

happen," I said.

e steel that had replaced the softness. He saw that this was

kay, Liv. I'm with y

lan," I said, picking up my phone, "is to g

s I began to type. He didn't know the half of it, but h

day he ever met the Reyn

protective light in his