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“I’m not putting my name on this until we address the elephant in the room.”

Everybody looked at me.

Marcel hit his hand against the table. “Ares.”

“You want me to front this union, then we do it right,” I said, keeping my voice controlled. “It’s no secret she isn’t well. She stays with me here, gets clean, and gets real help. Nobody forces her through the rest of this before she’s ready.”

Attention immediately shifted toward Azaria.

She stood from her chair. “I’m not staying here.”

“Azaria, sit down,” her mother snapped.

I got up too. “Nah. Let her talk. She’s not a prop.”

I walked over to her without rushing. She stayed where she was while I lifted her veil and removed her sunglasses. I expected her to stop me, but she let me.

“Ça va?” I asked. Are you okay?

A bitter laugh left her.

“No. Je ne vais pas bien.” I’m not okay.

“I don’t want this,” she whispered.

“I know.” I lowered my voice so the conversation belonged more to us than everybody sitting around that table. “Stay. Let me help you. Fuck all these people. Zay and I got you.”

Her breathing was uneven. “You don’t even like me, and I for sure don’t like you.”

I smirked. “I liked you enough in Vegas, and you liked me too.”

The look she gave me told me I had pushed the wrong button. “You don’t get to decide my life.”

“I know that, but I’m not letting you drown either.”

She stared at me for a long time before returning to her seat. “Let’s get this meeting over with.”

The lawyers resumed, and when the contracts came back around, I signed first. Azaria stared at hers for what felt like forever before putting her name on it with enough anger to damn near cut through the paper.

It was done.

Everything fell apart once we got outside.

“No! I’m not going with him! Let me go!”

Azaria fought the second we headed toward the car. She twisted away from everybody around her, screaming while panic took over. Security started moving toward her, but I put my hand up.

“Nobody touch her.”

They stopped.

Azaria backed away from me, shaking. “You’re putting me in a cage!”

“No. I’m keeping you alive.”

She cried harder, switching between French and English so fast that some of the words ran together. I moved closer while keeping everybody else away from her.

“You’re not being locked away. I have doctors waiting for you. This isn’t punishment.”