Chapter 45

• FRANKIE
• I sit beside Rafael in the plush leather seat as Leo navigates the car through midday traffic. We’re on our way to meet one of the couples from last night’s dinner party, and I can hardly believe it. It’s as if nothing happened, as if last night’s events—their intensity, his actions—just vanished without consequence. Another cramp tears through my lower abdomen, making me wince and press my hand against it. Karma's got a sick sense of humor – after faking illness yesterday, today I'm actually doubled over in pain. I consider telling Rafael, but after yesterday's performance, I doubt he'd believe me.
• My eyes drift to him as he focuses on his phone, his fingers moving rapidly across the screen. The moment in my bedroom still feels like something from an alternate reality. Rafael – the man who rules through fear and power – actually apologized. The words 'I'm sorry' came from those lips that usually only issue commands or threats. As much as I wanted to hold onto my anger about being forced to dress like a call girl in front of my sister and Thomas, I couldn't. Not when I knew how much it must have cost someone like him – a man who probably learned to kill before he learned to apologize – to say those words. He's still got miles to go, but I can see him trying, and that means something.