I didn’t touch her.

I called the house manager, asked that a car be made available, and went into my office while she gathered her things.

Fifteen minutes later I heard a suitcase roll across the foyer.

The front door shut.

Immediately afterward, my phone lit up with a message from Walter.

We need to talk before you do something irreversible.

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t mistake a warning for good advice.

PART 3