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So flashed across Cristiano’s face, an eave a little nod ‘You should get dressed,’ he said, and walked from the room

An hour later Laurel stepped into the lift that would bring the limo to take them to the airport She wore a shift dress in aquamarine linen and a pair of taupe open-heeled sandals, her hair caught back with a sapphire clip—and Laurel suspected the sapphires were real It had come with a drawerful of jewellery that she was afraid to touch Was this how Cristiano treated all his mistresses—with jewels, clothes and careless expense? She’d been telling herself all o with it, enjoy the over-the-top craziness, but she still found it hard

She’d paid her oay since she was eighteen years old, working her way through her nursing degree with part-ti rent—adrandfather She didn’t like feeling bought

And yet she couldn’t keep a warh her when Cristiano saw her, a slow saze swept over her ‘You look lovely’

‘Thank you,’ Laurel murmured

They now had a relationship of sorts and, while it felt far better than the constant battling, it was still…odd Considering she’d never even had a boyfriend, Laurel was not at all sure how to navigate a love affair, and a temporary one at that

Cristiano helped her into the limo and Laurel slid into the suain at the turn her life had taken In Illinois she drove an old pick-up truck

‘You look so surprised,’ Cristiano re out his phone and thu a few buttons

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve been in a limo’

He looked up, arching an eyebrow ‘How long?’

‘Since our parents were married,’ Laurel admitted ‘Those three years were like a dream to both of us I think we knew it couldn’t last’

‘Because your reedy’

‘Let’s not rehash this, Cristiano,’ Laurel said on a sigh ‘I knohat she did rong, okay?’

She couldn’t help but wonder about the what ifs, though—what if he hadn’t said anything about that bank account; what if Lorenzo and Elizabeth had stayed ht have been now