“I agreed to work with Irene because I wanted to see how Mason would handle his relationship with her. After all, she was his first love—she’ll always have a place in his heart.” Chris brought it up himself. “And before you fell too deep, I wanted you to see it clearly. That way, you wouldn’t get completely caught up in it and end up hurt all over again.”

Aurora clinked her glass against his and tilted her head back and downed the drink. The liquor burned down her ...