d her eyes to a sterile white room, bathed in the soft, indirect light of a private hospital

open, his face illuminated by the screen's glow. He looked as if he

top with a soft click and walked to her bed

"Your performance was a success. The doctor, the nurses...

lickered through her mind-the charity gala, the whirlwind romance, the discovery that their first meeting had been orchestrated by her ambitious father. From that mo

ith the fresh hell of the last twenty-four

words were solid as steel.

in the past, it had always been a tearful plea, a desperat

divorce? Alicia, who the hell do you th

dark with a possessive fury. "You schemed and clawed your way into my bed, into this family, all for

nd empty, held his. "I don't want anything," she said, her voice

her. It didn't fit his narrative. This ha

, cruel promise. "You are going to stay right here, in this marriage. You will remain Mrs. Julian Gain

o storm out, to leave her trap

b, his phone buzzed. He glanced at t

embling. After a sleepless night, her conscience had won. She had seen Mr. Julian bring that woman home. She had seen the broken glass, the

egant posture rigid, her knuckles white where she gripped the receive

finally, her voice like a shard

ll and immediate

voice sharp with irri

own the line, cold and lethal. "You have five seconds to explain to me why your wife is lying in a hospital bed. And you

from Julian's fa