The flight back from the island felt longer than the one that had taken us there. I sat beside David the whole time. His hand rested on my thigh like it belonged there. The weight of it made my skin crawl, but I kept a calm face and smiled when he looked at me. Julian sat across the aisle. He sent me occasional looks that mixed desire and jealousy. Marcus was behind us. He stayed quiet as always, but I could feel his presence like a steady anchor in the middle of everything. The vacation had been beautiful on the surface. White sand beaches, clear blue water, private dinners under the stars. But underneath it all, it had been another layer of control. Another way for David to remind me that he held the strings.
When we finally landed and drove back to the mansion, the familiar gates felt
