CHAPTER 1: A Cabin With No Escape

Claire Ellison stepped into the private jet and knew the flight had already turned against her.
The cabin smelled of cedar polish, chilled champagne, and expensive leather. Men in dark suits murmured over tablets. A banker she had known since college lifted one hand in greeting, then lowered it when he saw her face.
Ryan sat near the middle of the cabin with his jacket open and his confidence too relaxed. Beside him, Brooke Vale crossed her legs in a silver dress that did not belong on a business flight unless the business had already become personal.
Brooke's hand rested over Ryan's for one second too long.
Claire noticed the hand first, then the ring on Brooke's finger. Not a wedding ring. Something worse. A promise made by a man who still wore another woman's name.
Ryan looked up and smiled as if the air belonged to him.
"Claire," he said. "You're late."
She glanced at the cabin door as it sealed behind her. At thirty thousand feet, no one could leave a room before the truth finished speaking.