L BURG

t cloth, carefully dabbing at the blood on my knees. His touch was light, almost tender, the same

Andrea now. Truly with her." His words were a polite, final stab. "You shoul

ou'd leave us for a better partner if we ever annoyed you. Yo

ts! The words caught in my throat, choked by fr

ision, shaking my head, desperate t

yes. Then, slowly, he reached out, his thumb gently wiping a tear from my cheek. He

r, his back to me. "I'll get some antiseptic

und, my eyes widening. Standing there was Andrea' s son, his small face

his voice high-pitched and angry.

y threw my arm up to shield my face. Boiling water splashed

rea' s son dropped the kettle, clutching hi

oor burst open, lettin

ped around my throat. My brea

His teeth were bared, a low growl rumbling in his chest. "You... you dared to hurt

. "You never change, do you? Always the s

was brave, strong, a woman who didn't 'need' him in the same suffocating way I did. He' d even taken on dangerous, long-term assignments to prove his loyalty to her, or so I' d heard. When

his words.

own my face, blurring everything into a kaleidoscope of pain. I looked into his eyes one last tim