Sean took me to a nearby hotel.

Shangri-La. The name blazed in golden letters, gleaming like a promise out of reach.

I wanted to say something, to protest that I’d already troubled him enough. A five-star luxury hotel was overkill. The budget hotel across the street would’ve been more than sufficient.

But Sean merely cast me a disdainful glance, his brows furrowing in that cutting way of his. “A person inconveniencing others,” he said, his voice ...