d Boudreaux family prop

at, of quiet contemplation, far f

to a rustic, but

was visible through the open door

sun caught the line

saw in my final, agonizing

movements calm and purposefu

had whispered then, his hot tears f

"Don't leave me. No one wil

et cousin always absorbed in his historical research and charitable work,

u's new regime looking

tears of relief, of sorrow for

y voice thick with emotion

y tending a delica

hed. I saw his

e, woven from local reeds, a tra

stone beads scattered si

turn around. He di

my tears. The a

had been in two lifetimes, I passed the smal

ereaux w

efore the altar,

d ease," he murmured, his voice tight with emot

mother' s long,

same chapel, day after da

found me

"There are no higher powers, Luna. Only fools

he had become the

eyes, making

family. For a f

r entanglement wi

ve gaze. He had finished his prayers

me here," he sneere

ards me, bloc

The position of my primary partner, my wife, belongs to Chantelle. If you join my household, be

alpable, hanging

I had risked ev

x rituals to ensure his business victorie

ng from a critical n

his deal from sabota

manufactured scandal to shield

him from a physical attack orchestrated by that sa

lle's (faked) "near-death expe

my family

reputation wit

uring our future, you arranged for Chantelle to be harmed! Did you think helping me in business would ma

my palms, the me

my voice cold and steady. "The

a harsh, disbe

d. Who else would you marry? Does your Boudreaux family dare defy the

I wouldn't engage

e rushed up, seemi

ally at my feet, c

ful distress. "I know my station. Your disapproval is justified. I'll be careful not to displeas