Chapter 21: The Mistress Deserts

Chloe Miller knew how to survive. When she realized that Richard Vance was truly, utterly broke, she didn't waste time crying. She packed her bags, updated her social media profiles, and began attending the high-end hotel lounges downtown, looking for her next targe

Chapter 22: The Fall of Chloe

By the end of the week, Chloe Miller’s world had narrowed to a bed in a women’s transit hostel, a metal locker, and a communal bathroom shared with eleven strangers.

The room she occupied was clean but severe. Four narrow beds stood against white-painted brick walls,

Chapter 23: Leo’s Repentance

The kitchen at Buster’s Burger Joint smelled of hot oil, grilled onions, and industrial cleaner.

Leo Vance stood over a stainless-steel sink, scraping grease from a metal tray with a wire brush. His forearms ached, and the skin near his knuckles had become rough from r