“Why ask to meet me now?” I touched my left wrist, my fingers finding the small, quiet pulse under my skin where the faint yellow bruise from Cole’s grip had finally faded.

“Because you’re dragging this out, Lauren, and it’s becoming inconvenient for everyone.” She reached up with two manicured fingers and centered the diamond pendant at the collar of her silk blouse.

“You were supposed to file for an immediate divorce on December twenty-sixth.”

“I filed for legal separation and locked the trust accounts through Daniel Harris,” I said, keeping my voice short and even.

“That wasn’t the plan,” Sierra said, her warm voice dropping its polite edge instantly.