CLAIRE

I woke to the sound of my phone buzzing constantly, like it wouldn't stop, like something had broken loose in the world while I was asleep.

I rolled over in the unfamiliar bed, squinting at the bright sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows. For a moment, I forgot where I was, then it all came rushing back: Julian, the contract, the engagement party, Ethan's face when he realized I was wearing a ring.

I reached for my phone on the nightstand and my stomach dropped when I saw the screen. Twenty-three missed calls and forty-seven text messages.

My heart started pounding as I scrolled through the notifications. Most were...