The plane surged forward, the force of the takeoff pressing me back into the seat. As the wheels left the ground, I watched the world below shrink until the sprawling estates and the distant, cold towers of the Vanderbilt empire were nothing more than toys in the distance. We were rising above it all—the court cases, the headlines, and the man who had tried to break me.
Somewhere south of the clouds, a life I thought I’d lost was waiting. I closed my eyes, letting the steady hum of the engines lull me into a restless sleep, dreaming of pine trees and a sun that didn't feel so cold.
A gentle pressure on my shoulder pulled me from a dreamless, heavy sleep. I blinked, disoriented for a second by the soft hum of the cabin, before my eyes focused on Liam. He was leaning over me, his expressio
