zed, a low hum under the

ge, my hands clasped l

faced me, her beautiful

r voice thick with unshed sorrow,

with ambition, were cloud

o fragile, too sickly. P

lover, the man sh

s life, before she and D

aste fille

s plea, it was

I had stood in t

e the fall for corporate espionage, for st

claimed, was

en, I r

to my framing

ere Chloe's hired thugs ensu

and finally, ensured I c

ly, painfully, alo

time, I w

ered eve

every lie, every

, her performance

mo

lips, a fleeting expre

uld

ompliance wa

ice surprisingly calm, devoid o

es Derek,

sagged with th

k you! I knew yo

my hand, but I s

d the plea agreement ac

ed up

oothly, sealing m

e. A five-year sen

ing her eyes with a

le, sickly lover

r

ned, unseen b

s not a

a new b

ning. Th