o her pale skin and the blood on her face. He pulled his phone from the pocket o

lian Gaines. I need yo

ed in under twenty minutes. He was calm, professional, and his eyes missed nothing. He to

he asked, opening

ed. He stood by the window, arms crossed, a storm of irr

light into her unresponsive eyes. "I'll need to check for other injuri

parted, Dr. Re

arbone and on the soft skin of her upper arm. Some were fresh, others were fad

d them on Julian. It was a look of cold, professional appraisal

oice carefully neutral. "Were these

Domestic abuse. The implication hun

his mind, any injury on her was part of her elaborate fiction. No

ice hard with offense. "Your job is

to his work, cleaning and dressing the gash on her foreh

oncussion and she's running a high fever. She needs to be in a hos

A hospital meant more people, more qu

doorway. She had put on a face of deep concern, but her eyes were

om Bianca to Julian, and his exp

his tone dismissive. He turned back to

ussion due to a delay in proper medical care, as her husband, you would be held legally responsible. Furthermore, if she were to present at a

ify the NYPD. The Gaines name dragged through the mud, associated with

ielding face to Alicia's still

word tasting like defe

injuries would be validated by people whose opinions mattered, people wh

yer, he turned to Bianca, his voice flat and c

the woman who was his wife, his accuser, his victim. The clean lines of his world-of his righteous anger an