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To them, she was simply home.

Unfortunately, reality wasn’t nearly so forgiving.

Felicity stared at the front door, half expecting Ronan to burst through it and plead his case.

She didn’t want to hear his justifications.

He’d drugged her.

Drugged her.

Then, while she’d been unconscious, he’d made decisions about her life without her knowledge.

Without her consent.

A fresh wave of anger and hurt rolled through her.

He’d told himself it was protection.

But that didn’t justify stripping away someone’s right to choose.

No matter how noble his intentions had been, he’d taken away her agency.

Like the others.

And that was a wound that cut deeper than he could possibly understand.

She wasn’t sure she would ever be able to forgive him for it.

What she did know was that she didn’t want to be here when he returned. It had cost her a fortune to charter a flight from Hartford to Lincoln, but it was worth every dollar to ensure she was gone from Clearbrook before sunset.

The pugs milled about her feet as she hurried through the house, collecting clothes, toiletries, and anything else she might need for an extended absence. Only when she reached for her Bronco keys did reality finally sink in — she couldn’t leave without them.

Not this time.

Five days ago, she’d left with no intention of returning.

Things were different now.

Maisie wandered over and pressed against her leg. Felicity bent and scooped the old pug into her arms. “You girls wanna come on an adventure with me?”

Maisie’s tail immediately began to wag. A watery laugh escaped her. “Yeah, I thought you might.”

Millie barked as if demanding equal consideration. Maggie planted herself beside the front door, already looking ready to leave.

For the first time since she’d boarded the plane, something inside Felicity eased.

Maybe she didn’t know where she was going.

Maybe she had no plan beyond putting as much distance between herself and Ronan Murphy as possible.

But she wouldn’t be making the journey alone.

*

By the time she neared North Platte, she was falling asleep behind the wheel and grabbed the first dog-friendly motel she could find. Yet sleep didn’t come. She stared at the water-stained ceiling of the unfamiliar room, listening to the rhythmic wheezes of the pugs sleeping beside her, their warm bodies filling the empty space of the large bed.

The cellphone lit up. Again.