The limousine door clicked shut behind them, sealing Ava in a world of leather seats, tinted windows, and suffocating silence.

She sat stiffly, her gown pooling around her, hands clenched in her lap. Outside, the city lights streaked by in blurs of gold and red, but she couldn’t focus on anything beyond the thunder in her chest.

Ethan poured himself a drink from the crystal decanter, as calm as if the evening had been nothing more than routine business. His tuxedo jacket was unbuttoned, his ...