iana

d heavy with the things left unsaid from my phone call. I stared at the tablecloth, tracing the intricate damask pattern with my eyes

ondescending platitude. An offer to "handle i

soft clink of a for

Wellington steak that a waiter had silently placed between

ommand. "Starving yourself for people w

t of my misery. He wasn't offering sympathy. He was offering... respect. He saw my

that was exactly w

essure valve in my chest. I picked up my knife and fork. The sil

tasted it. I was fueling my body, jus

ns," Caden said, watching me with those dark, unreadable ey

. The deep red liquid sw

ed, his voice a low, resonant

f two hours, had become my husband, my ally, my sole partner in a world that had s

s. The crystal was cool

" I echoed, my vo

a soft, clear chime tha

d decay, Desmond Sullivan coughed, a wracking, painful sound that shook

child!"

lided into the room, a glass of water in her

with false concern. "Audriana has always been headstrong. Se

the best. Since she is so determined to throw her life away, it clears the path. Hailee and Gabe... they

and alliances. The match with Gabe had been about unitin

xpression a perfect portrait of heartbroken innocence. She drifted into the room

e. I've ruined everything for Audri. I never wanted to hurt her. But I love him so much. I'll do a

ord was designed to paint her as a self

my cold defiance on the phone. His face hardened. The choice was easy

. "There, there, child.

nce the engagement. Tomorrow. A grand celebration. We will s

e bank. Freeze her accounts. All of them. Let's see how long

ond couldn't see, Dagny and Hailee exch

y phone lit up with a new notification. It wasn't a call. It w

Card has been suspended by

ust Platinum Visa

und line of credi

rough. I'll g

ed. I was... disappointed. That after all these years, th

simple, unadorned debit card from a small, independent credit union. It was my own account, opened years ago under my own name, fun

esture. He saw the bank notifications light up my s

dark and calculating over the rim of the glass, hiding the

armony. We were two predators, circling each other,