ces of porcelain. Each shard felt like a tiny cut to her soul. She was trapped, humiliated

ter, his tie loosened. He shut the door behin

her arm, his fingers digging into her skin, and pulled her to her fe

loe whispered, the words catchin

ose to hers. "Your job is to manage this house, to manage

secret architect behind his most successful projects, yet he treated her like she w

will be there, you will be on my arm, and you will smile. You w

y, the fight dra

ologize to my mo

he question escaped her

more difficult than it needs to be." He pushed her away from him, and

ft the room without another glance, leaving her to clean up a mess that wa

a were talking in the study. She couldn't make out the words, only the low, intimate murmur of their con

s being paranoid, that her sister was just comforting her husband over his stressful day.