Christina opened her mouth but felt utterly drained. "Go beg him? Please… even if I swallowed my pride and got down on my knees, I doubt he'd show me the slightest bit of mercy."

She forced a bitter smile, full of self-mockery.

Aspen looked even more pleased, unable to hide the glee in her eyes. "My dear Christie, watching you regret everything like this… God, it's so satisfying! And honestly? I owe you some thanks. If you hadn't tripped me up so badly in front of Andrew, I wouldn't be where