rine'

ly, the empty wine g

hat was the plan, I could see it on his face. He expected me to cry, to run t

glass down and lo

her bag. "The three-million

th dropped ope

Isabella. Every dollar he used to buy you that thing came out of my account first." I

ched the bag to her chest. "Th

now and explain to this entire cabin exactly whose credit built Conti Tech. I've got the bank reco

pale unde

ight to my face for six years, yet the moment his precious

ice was tight. "Ju

ha

r the br

nked the box out of her bag and shoved it at me, her che

it. It's c

cheap. We b

and clicked the clasp shut.

anything. "For the seat swap. You offered it.

rs pretending not to watch, at the flight attendant hovering with

utes ago like it was pocket change." I smiled at him, and it w

ks blotchy with color. For once in

ed out his

he check free and slap it into my palm like it physically hu

end act gone. "Happy? You got your money. Now do us

ght," I said.

ulder. I was done. I didn't need the last word. I just needed to get away from him before the

ght," I said.

the economy curtain. I could not bear to sit within

an sit

, faintly amused. The kind of voice that assumed the

ed. I s

t should have been impossible, because looking at him

at made the wide business-class seat look small a

older than skin. He was looking at me, and only me, wi

w I knew that. I just did. It came

e him were empty-all of them.

d no. I opened my

exact moment to

business." Marco let out an

here anyway. Go on, Catherine. Take your m

spine. I turned to

ifted one hand. Just barely.

was

rialized at Marco's shoul

the diamond bracelet was gone, "I'm going to need you to return to your s

"I-what? I paid

w,

mistakable. Marco's fac

looked, for the first time. And wh

He didn't say

buzzing with suppressed gossip

ted. Who was this man that a single flick of his fingers could

he said

sense I had left t

at

a and stormed off wit

alking off toward the pickup lane where I already knew a car would be waiting, because

alone with my carry-

hower, sleep, and deal with

I called home-a cramped, aging place with a na

pid part of me still believed that family meant having som

have know