na echoed in the Hogan family dining room. It
hed oatmeal in front of her. Her thighs still ached from the nigh
ht, plastic smile. She reached over with a silve
ipping with fake sweetness. "You look pale.
at discussion was. The for
gh, hidden in the pocket of her skirt. She slipped her hand
ion from a blank a
ien
p Aspen's spine. Deron. He w
maining perfectly blank. "Thank you, Mothe
g open, and Julian Sterling walked in. He wore a tailored navy suit
was here to see Sloane, to plan their fu
darted nervously, a flicker of guilt quickly masked by his usual arrogant sm
wiping his mouth with a li
t. "I wanted to catch Sl
slowly lifted her head. She bit the inside of her cheek hard
he walked toward Julian, her steps hesitant, playing
ng just enough to sound pathetic. "Can
teary-eyed girl looking up at him with pure adoration. His ch
e Fitzpatrick marriage today. If Aspen was still publicly clinging to Julian, forcing
uth to intervene, but
k. "Dad, Mom, I know you've been worried about Julian and me. But please, gi
fingers gripping his tightly. Her stomach churn
hand back. He looked at Vance. "I'll handle th
lare, shaking his head slightly. They had to wait
don't take too long. We have
le that stretched across her lips. She had bought the
g to be overwhelmed by emotion. "I...
he dining room, leaving Julian standing
vanished. Her face turned to stone. She wiped her cheek wi
d the door. The heavy click of the de
in her jewelry box was a small, black micro-USB drive. It fel. High-definition security footage from a hotel room. Ju
had surfaced too late. Afte
e was holding
a dull, beige dress Corinne had picked out for her. The "bridesmaid
opened the encrypted app and
ns at 9 PM. D
later, the s
owle
robbed in her jaw, a steady, rhythmic beat of anticipation. She sat down at the mirr
e the sacrifice. She wo
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