“Seriously, you called the cops over a lovers’ quarrel?” Suzanne said, rolling her eyes. “How ridiculous can you be?”

One of the officers raised a hand to cut her off.

“Miss, watch your words right now,” he warned sternly.

Derek closed the door slowly behind them. His expression shifted from mockery to calculation as he took in the table—the ring, the copy of the police report, the documents neatly arranged in a yellow folder.

That’s when he understood this wasn’t a passing jealous outburst or a tantrum. Skylar had planned an escape.

“Skylar, don’t blow this out of proportion,” he said, sliding into the soft voice he used when he wanted to win over strangers. “It was an accident. I dropped my mug.”