rine'
n the runway, my mind racing to build a
was-the pampered Vitale daughter-and he was pursuing her to gain access to
It was pathetic. But it was better than t
glanced at it and let out a
ht attendant appeared beside us carrying a slim velvet box on a tra
abella. "A gentleman in economy asked
ught the cabin lights and threw them back, diamonds set in a line of white gold t
hether he might be permitted to return to bu
hink about it. Then she gave a slow, grac
Ma'am, since the cabin is full, the gentleman has offered a courtesy of fifty thous
housand
ed. Not becaus
he supposedly didn't have, being thrown around like loose chan
ame out steady, which surprise
of surprise. "That easy? Fifty g
See, this is your problem, Cat
ea what I'm ab
ched the curtain at the front of the cabin, my heart slam
, and Marco st
h. A jacket I'd never seen, cut close, expensive. He'd gotten a h
already reaching to loosen his collar, playin
he sa
or drain out of it. Watched his feet stop dead in th
athed. "What- what
d before I could think about it, I threw it. The wine hit him square, splashi
said. "Happy e
iet. A woman two rows
t was heaving, heat crawling
h me?! You watched me sit there doing the math in five different apps
that he'd fall apart. Beg. Explain. Gi
ck of his hand. And when he looked at me, t
ine, ca
lin
e, I realized, but for himself. "We're on a plane. People are watching. Don
bin seemed t
barrass
id not recognize the man in front of me. This stranger with wine dripping off his jaw, more worried abou
ome home from the office. All the meals I'd stretched to cover two people on one s
d this.
rs of my life to a
Her eyes darted between us, wide and calcula
nd her mouth fell open. "You two-she's the
fury, there was still a piece of me that wanted to pro
. Marco is the man I've been with for six years. The one I t
The apology. The siste
sighed, like I was being tiresome. Like I'd
bracelet box shut in her lap. "T
opped out fr
use
ou have, whatever you want-it comes to me. That's how it's always been. The clothes, the attention, Mom and Dad
dn't b
r, handed things to my whole life without ever being asked, because I tho
ollar consolation prize, telling me to step aside
-bitter, burning at
't even starte
ready made
hetic performance of a family loyalty
one. Al
want any
/1/131527/coverbig.jpg?v=f68f55732b652de9b6b58595d3e984ed&imageMogr2/format/webp)