When Rafael reached my side and saw the red wine soaking my gown, the muscle in his jaw twitched, and he leaned close and asked, in a low, dangerous voice, “Who did this?”

“I’ll tell you later,” I whispered.

He unbuttoned his suit jacket, slipped it off, and wrapped it gently around my shoulders.

Then he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead.

“I’m sorry I was late, sweetheart,” he said.

The silence in the ballroom was absolute.

My mother’s mouth fell open.

My sister dropped her champagne flute, and glass shattered across the marble.