Chapter 22

Morgan explained, "You see, our first encounter didn't happen at the bar. It happened a month prior, at a dinner reception. You were there with Stephan, only for him to leave you mid-evening to dance with another woman. You sat by yourself on the couch, drinking somberly, as whispers and gossip about your relationship circulated among those present. "I committed your name to memory the instant you brought that wine bottle down on Stephan's shoulder. Your movement was so fluid and decisive, and your verbal assault was so cutting that everyone present was shocked into silence. "Yet you, seemingly oblivious to their shock, simply gathered your dress and exited with remarkable poise and elegance. It was a moment that profoundly impressed me, one I couldn't possibly erase from my mind. "In the time that followed, I slowly gathered all the details about your relationship with Stephan. I couldn't help but wonder how someone as fearless as you could allow yourself to be caught in such a to