Three days later, Vicki and I were strolling down Rodeo Drive, the high-end dresses in the shop windows standing like rows of silent, proud guards.
"I just don't get it, Ashley," Vicki said for what had to be the tenth time, her beautiful face tight with worry. "Why on earth did you agree to him? Brian's a total scumbag! He threatened you, treats you like some pawn he can move around however he wants. You should stay far, far away from him—not dive back into his mess again!
"And it's so not like you. This isn't the Ashley I know—the one who's decisive and would never tolerate this kind of thing."
I stopped walking, meeting Vicki's eyes—those sincere eyes brimming with anger on my behalf. Warmth swelled in my chest. I couldn't tell her the truth. I couldn't tell her that Brian ha
