CHAPTER 17

Pearl woke with a groan, the sun filtering through curtains, slicing a golden path across her floor and straight into her face. She squinted, shielding her eyes, and immediately regretted every drop of wine she’d consumed the night before. Her head throbbed in sync with her heartbeat, and her stomach rolled as if punishing her for mixing expensive red with emotions she hadn’t intended to expose. She sat up slowly, recalling flashes of the night: the dinner, the clink of glasses, Ethan's warm eyes when he looked at her. Her hand flew to her mouth. "Did I...?" she murmured aloud, horror dawning. She had kissed him. Or tried to. And he hadn’t stopped her immediately. But he also hadn’t deepened the kiss. Pearl let out a slow, mortified sigh and dragged herself into the kitchen. She had to thank him somehow—for everything. For stepping in when Gary turned violent, for calming her when she was falling apart, and for looking after Juno like she was his own. The least she could do was cook