

Three months after my divorce, I agreed to take my stepdaughter to college. But on the train, she slipped her hand under my blanket.A three-day-and-two-night journey on the California Zephyr, from Chicago to San Francisco.Derek’s plan: Finish this trip, then walk away from them forever.Scarlett’s plan: Use these three days to win him back.Chloe’s plan: She’s waited six long years, until she finally turned eighteen.But plans are always meant to be disrupted.Caught between his ex-wife and his stepdaughter, what choice will Derek make?

After being released from my three-year sentence, Zoe Sanders finally found me in an underground fight club. The moment she saw me, she grabbed me by the collar and punched me across the face, her eyes burning red with fury. "Henry Goldman, who gave you the nerve to disappear like this? "And what the hell have you done to yourself?" I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and laughed carelessly. "One punch, one hundred thousand. "If you’re still angry, feel free to keep going. I could use the money for this year’s rent." Her fists trembled uncontrollably, but her voice softened. "Come home with me... apologize to Ronald Green. "He’s always been kind-hearted. He already forgave you for framing him." Her gaze swept over the scars covering my body, something unreadable flickering in her eyes. "Look at yourself. Covered in blood like this... what’s the difference between you and a stray dog digging through garbage?" My body stiffened. Then I turned and walked away. What she did not know was this: In prison, blood and violence were the only ways I learned to survive. "Don’t forget," she shouted after me, "I’m still your fiancée!" My footsteps stopped. How could I forget? Three years ago, on the night of our engagement, Ronald drugged me and sent me to a black-market auction. I was stripped of all dignity and sold like merchandise. That night, I became the laughingstock of the entire city. And the person who signed the papers that sold me… was my fiancée herself.

For three years, Cecilia Nixon had been in a loveless marriage with Nat Gold, untouched by him, and her mother-in-law insisted she leave empty-handed. In a sudden act of defiance, Cecilia managed to force Nat to sleep with her and then vanished, pregnant. Six years later, upon her return to her homeland, the first person she bumped into was Nat. As they engaged in a chase, her rage got the better of her, and she confronted him, demanding a proper distance between them.

The day my girlfriend got back together with her first love, I boarded a plane bound for Brindlewood. She told her first love, "Craig was just a fling. I won't have anything to do with him anymore. From now on, I'll only be by your side." Her friends all worried I might cause a scene. But they didn't know—this time, I wasn't going to make a fuss. Before leaving for Brindlewood, I had promised my mentor I'd join his medical research program. In just two weeks, I'd lose all contact with the outside world and dive into a secret project for the next ten years. From that moment on, there would be no ties between me and her anymore.