onto the cold

d turned the shower dial all the way to the left. Scalding hot water blasted fro

hed away the physical traces of him, but it couldn't wash away the deep

d. She gripped the edge of the marble sink,

o her face, trying to shock

The water swirling around the silver drain stopper was mixed wit

r breath caught

her cheek. She touched the spot where the hi

didn't meet rou

ay under her touch. It felt like

s. She jerked her head up and sta

ed. Ellyn stop

was completely smooth. The skin was flawless, porcelain-pale, and perfect. T

she wh

ntil it turned raw and pink, terrified that it was a tric

real. The s

d just happened in the bedroom. The forced intimacy. The exchange o

is physical chemistry had so

y, the heavy thud of footsteps echoed from the bedroom.

was

dn't let her go. Baron would think she had undergone some experimental, dangero

ty drawer. Her hands fle

er her flawless left cheek. She haphazardly layered the bandages over the concealer, making a mess of it. Her trembling fingers cr

s back. Her eyes, however, were no longer fill

hroom door and stepped

nightgown lay on the floor. The

loset and dragged out a battered, cheap suitcase from the very back

, and the velvet boxes of Cartier jewelry Baron had bought her for public appearanc

tcase shut, she heard

d the bedroom door and press

r maids. Her English was thick with a Bronx accent. "He looked ready

t called. Christine is flying back from Paris next week. He's cle

like a physical b

ist

Her spine hit the doorf

ead silent. Footsteps hu

n. The cold seepe

mercy. The rush to get her out. It wasn't just because he hated her.

his punching bag. All of it was just a plac

scraped its way out

ooked at her left hand. She gripped the plain pl

surface. The metal hit the gl

ed the strings tight, hiding her face in the shad

n't loo

The hallway was empty. The warm glo

She pushed open the heavy, metal

behind her, cutting off the luxury of the Hudson world forever. S