I Hid My Empire For Her Love

llow. The second was the dull, aching soreness deep in her bones-a heavy memory her mind couldn't quite reac

as ma

tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but they felt like water-her knees buckled the moment her feet touched t

steel. It lifted h

y. Her husband. He was shirtless, his torso all lean, hard muscle, still faintly

t his chest, a weak gesture of protest, but her hands had no strength. He didn't

the closed toilet lid. Then he turned his back to her, his broad shoulders blocking the view, and began adjusting the water temperature in the sh

kin. Who was this man? He was more considerate than she'd expected, a

re. It felt like a costume from another life. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Julian was dressed. A simp

ss of water and a

d. His voice was

hem was thick and suffocating. She swallowed the pa

ounding on the apartment

BAM

gid. A cold dread, horribly

e door! I know y

had been fixed on the wall, flickered to her face. A subtle shift, nothing

apartment, casting a long, imposing shadow. Carley pushed herself to her feet, her le

nd her cousin, Leo. Leo's eyes, small and greedy, raked over Carley's

e apartment as if he owned it, his gaze sw

ment check for the house," Devon s

ails digging into her palms. That money was the last piece o

w whistle as he looked Julian up and down. "This t

g out the rest of the world. The click of the latch was

is voice oily. "Half of that money goes

ger rose in her throat. She was trembling,

ilent, solid wall between her and them. He didn't speak. He didn't have t

arriage had begun, not wit