Chapter 53

• Rico stood stiffly, though he tried to maintain his composure. “Mr. Josh,” he greeted politely, dipping his head slightly. When he moved to acknowledge Ivy, however, she turned her face away. Yet that wasn’t what occupied Rico’s thoughts.
• It was the way Josh kept Ivy close, his hand resting possessively at her waist as if silently declaring to the world that she belonged to him. Just as he so often did in public—not because Ivy flaunted their closeness, but because Josh treated her like a woman deeply, unequivocally loved.
• For reasons Rico couldn’t explain, the sight made his chest tighten with irritation. And the timing of it all only worsened the sting. Of all the people he could have possibly run into here in the garden—why did it have to be Josh… and Ivy?