Chapter 1 1

The aggressive vibration of the phone against Carley Holman's palm sent a sharp jolt up her arm.

She stood in the middle of the JFK Airport arrivals terminal, the handle of her suitcase gripped so tightly in her other hand that her knuckles were entirely white. The automated voice over the intercom announcing a landing faded into background noise as she stared at the screen.

Dad (Sterling Newton).

Her stomach dropped. The heavy, greasy feeling of dread pooled in her gut. She had just turned the phone on ten seconds ago. She hadn't even texted the real estate agent about the apartment yet.

Carley took a shallow breath, her chest feeling instantly too tight. She swiped the green button and pressed the cold glass to her ear.

"Hi, Dad. I just-"

"You are finally back," Sterling Newton's booming voice cut through the line. It wasn't a greeting. It was a statement of ownership. "Your mother and I have everything ready at the house."

Carley closed her eyes. The noise of the airport seemed to press in on her. "Dad, I actually have a place lined up in Manhattan. I want to get settled there first and-"

"Nonsense," Sterling snapped, his tone dropping into that sharp, displeased register that always made her throat close up. "What place is better than home? Martha had your room cleaned days ago. Pippa even took the day off school to wait for you."

"But I need to-"

"Hank is already at the exit," Sterling ordered. "Don't disappoint us, Carley."

The line went dead.

Carley pulled the phone away from her ear. Her lungs burned as she forgot to exhale. The dial tone was a physical weight pressing down on her shoulders. Her grand plan for independence, her desperate need to stay away from the Newton family and the suffocating guilt attached to them, was crushed in less than five minutes on American soil.

She forced her legs to move. The wheels of her suitcase dragged heavily against the polished floor.

As she pushed through the sliding glass doors into the main pickup area, a familiar face broke through the crowd. Clara Bishop was jumping up and down, holding a piece of cardboard with CARLEY written in thick black marker.

Clara threw her arms around Carley, squeezing the breath out of her. "You made it! Are you ready for freedom? The apartment I found you is amazing. Brick walls, huge windows!"

Carley let go of her suitcase. Her arms hung limply at her sides. She shook her head, a bitter taste rising in the back of her throat.

"I can't," Carley whispered.

Clara pulled back, her smile vanishing. "What do you mean you can't?"

"Sterling just called." Carley rubbed the center of her chest, trying to ease the sudden ache. "They sent a car. They expect me at the estate."

Clara's jaw dropped. Her eyes flared with instant anger. "How can they do that? You are twenty-four years old! You aren't a child they can just summon."

"You know how Sterling is," Carley said, her voice hollow.

Clara leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a harsh whisper. "What about... Barron? Is he going to be there?"

Hearing that name was like taking a physical blow to the ribs. Carley's blood ran cold. The tips of her fingers went numb. She swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising panic.

"I don't know," Carley said, her voice shaking. "God, I hope not."

Clara sighed heavily and placed a warm hand on Carley's rigid shoulder. "Looks like you lost the first battle of your independence war."

Carley didn't answer. Her eyes locked onto a man standing near the curb. He wore a pristine dark suit and a chauffeur's cap. Hank Kowalski.

Hank spotted her. He walked over with stiff, practiced steps and bowed his head slightly. "Miss Holman. Welcome home. Mr. and Mrs. Newton instructed me to bring you straight to the estate."

The word home felt like a needle sliding under her skin.

Clara opened her mouth, ready to argue with the driver, but Carley grabbed her wrist. Carley squeezed once, a silent plea. Fighting Hank meant fighting Sterling, and she didn't have the money or the power to win that fight today.

"I'm sorry, Clara," Carley said, her throat tight. "Can you handle the apartment agent for me? Just tell them I need a few more days."

Clara looked at her with deep pity. "I'll handle it. Just... protect yourself, Carley. Don't let him hurt you again."

Carley nodded. She let go of Clara's hand and turned to Hank.

Hank took the handle of her suitcase. He led her to the curb where a massive black Lincoln Navigator sat idling. He opened the heavy rear door. The silver Newton family crest on the door panel caught the airport lights, flashing like the lock on a cage.

Carley climbed inside. The heavy scent of expensive leather and chemical cleaner instantly clogged her nose.

The door slammed shut, sealing her in.

The engine rumbled. As the car pulled away from the curb, Carley stared out the tinted window at the blurring city skyline. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She wasn't going home. She was being dragged back to a battlefield she had spent four years trying to escape.