so well. My pride, my composure, my supposed emotional distance. He believed I was in

gesture, which once would have made my heart flutter, now felt

touch just enough to sell the performance.

be worth it." He kissed my forehead, a gesture of fei

Dara was still in there. A morbid curiosity, a need to see the full extent

tub, surrounded by bubbles, a smug smile

be more careful," he whispered, his vo

" Dara pouted, splashing a bit o

it to his lips. "You're a wicked girl. But

I stumbled back, my hand pressed against the wall to steady myself. The air in the pent

the windows closed. "The city air is so polluted

s so bitter it alm

them for another second. I turned and fled down the grand,

the floor-to-ceiling windows. The glittering lights of the New York skyline spre

f water. He stopped when he saw me, a flicker of somethi

oney beauty that he, with all his new-money billions, had desperately wanted to possess. But he quickly smothered the thought. I could almost hear his internal monologue, the

his voice soft and laced with that same

him. "It felt s

s, an act of tender domesticity designed to disarm me. In my first life, I had melted under this touch, believing it was proof of his love. Now, I sat rigid, my mind

es, looked down at the scene. Her eyes narrowed with a flash of pure venomous jealousy. She coul

tripped," tumbling down the last few st

ar

ant. He didn't even glance back at me. He knelt beside her

as thick with genuine panic, a stark cont

her gaze flickered over to me, a triumphant, mocking little smirk playi

my gaze, hiding the fury in my eyes. It was one thing to know the truth, but to see his p

ed, leaving behind a hard, diamond-bright clarity. They thought this was their