actically jumped back, his eye

, smoothing his already perfect tie. He tri

t mean to

d an eyebrow, her gaze cool and

ossessive gesture. "Don't be ridiculou

piece of furniture. Julian, though, kept

tion to me, a slight, condesce

leanor's wing? I suppose

The old Ethan would have bristled, would have felt that f

rds in my past life echoed: "You were a

d now. I would not ma

, my expressio

ice even. "I have no inte

econd. Julian looked from her t

red in her eyes

swiftly, a brittle

some." She stepped closer, her ex

harp shove, she pushed

console table. Not hard, but deli

ng past her, past the

r the perfect family she seemed to embody, the belonging I craved, perhaps e

dead. Utterly

e, to sever every last thread

age for her godson, Ethan Miller, sprea

t Eleanor' s influence ensured it

parents, suddenly found their

– all because of the assumed connecti

ally, that the bride-to

ch everyone had whispered about for ye

ere obvious. Aligning with Ethan Mil

olitical connections legendary. For famili

vinced I was playing some elaborate game to win her b

allow for any oth