ception, the cham

hugged every curve. She looked radiant. Triumphant. Exactly like

the guests are waitin

Perfect manicure. Eight-carat d

and, his dark eyes

ward the applause. Toward the life

sistant burst th

skew. He looked like a man who'd just seen

racked. "Elenora Carlson walk

m went

ously. "Elenora who? She's his ex. Her life is none of

ady standing in

ngly blank. The kind of bl

did yo

s if he was trying to conv

ing. That woman is to

uard pulled her body out twenty minutes ago. And..." He swallowed. "They

uld never be moved by Elenor

d at her with contempt for years-went complete

he room dar

ing his hand, her eyes wid

. He wrenched his han

d from Delphine's pe

-

omery

hands. Unwrinkled. Unscarred. The hands

m, and slowly, piece by piece, she acce

ed her with a sharp, assessing look from his seat on t

u want to accompany Donovan

ashes fl

turning point. The fork in the road tha

eryone knew the real reason. Delphine Vance was there. His first lo

nd made herself completely pathetic until Cornelius had agreed to let her go. She'd th

a j

t of a sense of obligation-not love, never love-the Montgomerys had taken her in.

indulged her. The way you'd indulg

rnelius to the man

in place. He lounged in his chair like a predator at rest, one strand of dark hair falling o

at him made h

she was something foul he'd stepped in. The way he'd let her kneel in the courtyard all night whil

ped. Her blood

lled her entire life. The man w

hate

he memory of his contemptuous eyes, his dismissive voice, th

his knee. His annoyance was bec