Lina's POV
I wake up with a bad headache and a bitter taste of regret in my mouth. Pieces of last night come back in sharp flashes—the video of Rio and Jennie cooking, the drinking, the fight, and the slap that makes my hand sting with shame
My phone shows seventeen missed calls from Isabella and a string of increasingly frantic text messages about my morning schedule. I'm supposed to present to the board of directors at Mercy General Hospital in two hours, a meeting that could secure our biggest healthcare contract yet.
A soft knock at my door makes me freeze. "Young Mistress?" Maria's gentle voice carries through the wood. "I have coffee and some headache medicine. Young Master asked me to let you know he's already left for the day."
Of course he has. He's probably avoiding me as much as I want to avoid him.
