“You walked into my life with nothing, Serena, and that’s exactly how you’ll walk out of it.”

“I’m carrying your child,” I said, keeping my voice down.

“That child will be raised under a court order you can’t afford to fight,” Patrick said, leaning in so near I could hear the steady ticking of his gold wristwatch.

He spun on his heel and walked back toward the grand ballroom without a single glance behind him.

I went over to the potted palm, picked up my house keys and pushed them deep into my coat pocket.

Outside, rain was pounding hard against the glass, blown sideways by the rising night wind.