. The cold evening air felt sharp against her tear-stained cheeks, a

foyer was brightly lit now, the light from the cry

e main staircase, his arms crossed over

eading for the guest room on the grou

l, the pressure making the small bones in her wrist grind together. "Y

bitter laugh escaping her. "Afraid your precious Ad

mouth right next to her ear. "It's for the ca

e stairs, pushed by the butler. She looked down at them, her gaze lingering on Alexander's hand gripping E

sincerity. "I didn't realize this was a formal family dinner. If my

rotective instincts flared. He released Elissa's wrist as if it were contaminated and looked

marks on her skin. "Do whatever you want," she said, her

ntinued down the long hallway to the master suite at

ooked up as Elissa entered, and for a moment, Elissa saw a flicker of s

y and exited, closing the hea

rifted around the opulent room and settled on the smoke detector mounted on

door opened and Alexander walk

detector and pressed a nearly invisible switch

ld dread creeping up her

sky. A microphone and a camera, to be precise." He turned to face her, his expression cruel. "He's had them

l those nights she had mistaken his presence for a flicker of affection, a hint of

he possessed. "You let him watch us? You used our marriage, our...

his fingers digging into her skin. "You, who schemed your

the soft, sprawling bed. Before she could react,

shing against his hard chest. "Get

a happy, fruitful marriage," he snarled, his voice rough with a rage that had nothing to do

ensitive skin of her neck. It wasn't a kiss; it was a

sliding into the silk pillowcase. The fight drain

, she finally understood the full, horrifying truth of her exis