I stood there for a long second, staring at the closed door, trying to steady the wild rhythm of my breathing. Marcus’s words still echoed inside me-He doesn’t like to wait.
My hands were cold, trembling even though the room wasn’t.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move. My heels made small, uneven sounds against the floor as I turned back toward the bed.
My handbag lay there exactly where I’d dropped it, neat and harmless-like it didn’t know it was about to go with me into something I didn’t understand.
I picked it up slowly, the leather soft beneath my fingers. Then I reached for my phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up, bright and cold against my skin, showing the time. Too late to pretend I hadn’t heard the knock. Too late to hide.
I slid the phone inside the bag, then g
