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

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