oss the floor. It did nothing to warm the chill that had settled deep in Seraphina

her voice a raw whisper. "You h

ainst the window. He looked down at her not with love, not even with

ow and dangerous. "How can I believe

he sheer force of his anger pressing down on her. Her h

forever. He had traced the line of her jaw and sworn that no one would ever harm her, that he would always be

e had said then, his voice thick with emotio

colder, even more brutal. The man who had made that promise wa

armth, were now hard and unforgiving. He reached out, not to comfort her, but to grab the col

of a withered flower, branded into her flesh. It was a symbol of sham

of shame and terror washing over her. His fingers ti

. "Explain how my wife, the noble Lady Seraphina, c

led, horrific secret, one she had sworn to keep to protect him. If he knew, it would des

spered, the words cho

ith rage. "You can'

ned into pure loathing. He shoved her away from him, and s

enom. "To think I ever touched you. To think

t only seemed to fuel his fury. He took a step toward her, and she scrambled backward, her heart seizing with

a silent scream caught in her throat. But it nev

voice dripping with contempt. "

n her, his posture r

ak door behind him. The sound echoed in the sudden, crushing silence, a definitive end to everything they had ever been. Seraph