CLAIRE

Sunday morning, I woke up to Julian watching me. "That's creepy," I mumbled, still half asleep.

I sat up, stretching, the Phoenix Award caught my eye from the study doorway, glinting in the morning light.

"Last night was incredible," I said.

"It was," Julian agreed. "But I was thinking about something."

"About what?" I asked, turning to face him.

"About independence," Julian said.

"Independence," I repeated, uncertain where this was going.

"You have your own business," Julian explained. "You make your own money, you make your own decisions."

"Okay," I said slowly.

"But you don't have your own car," Julian continued. "You rely on Marcus to drive you everywhere."...