pital bed. Days la

Multiple fractured ribs, a pun

a dull, const

s. "Mr. Miller. Good to see y

, my first words, raspy a

here every day. Worried sick. She's

day.

tes later, her face a mask

" She rushed to my bed

illows, my blanket,

octors said... it was t

ick with emotion

, my throat dry.

her eyes. Jus

nderstanding. His stepfather was just havi

orehead. "Don't you worry about him

ch felt

my nostrils – her usual expensive per

musky, u

en I s

k, just below her earlobe,

stinct, pur

seatbelt. I knew a lov

location... it w

was fightin

ed, my voice flat, p

ghtly. "Oh, this? The seatbelt, I thi

mark was too precis

eyes. "I'm t

t." She squeezed my hand

image of that mark on her ne

essively atten

wouldn't read, foo

bout the award she'd missed,

ke a grain of san

p in bed, trying to read, when a

voice, then a man'

recognized with

ysterical, amplified b

You can't ignore me! If you don

past my door.

ng to placate him. "Leo, please!

e about you! If I can't have you, no one can! I'l

sound of something meta

an sc

on was instanta

o!

y so controlled,

her face ashen. "Ethan,

Olivia." My voice was ti

ime?" she cried, her eyes wild.

s serious in

voice rose again, a de

a! Every drop of my blood

n't hesita

him.

g me.

ning to the recedi

eo's broken sobs, the urge

se came in t

an. Your wife, Ms. Hayes, she's a saint. Stayed with him the whole time, go

nt. R

thick, I could

ed scratches while I recovered from injuries

ly folding that cashmere

bite on

ight to Leo at

ht to him in the

my part anymore. It w

m

hope for our marria

out. I needed to

, Olivia was there, fussing,

, darling.

made my

on my own, despite the

I said, my

e tried to apo

I feel responsible for him, in a way. He fixate

n't seen the love bite, if s

en her keep th

ow, not dignifying he

ed over me, me

Sharma, on the prenup, on th

ill in its box in my bag, fe