k sedan, her knuckles white. Beside her, Amber Stone sat smugly in the passenger seat, humming a cheerful

. "You won't believe it, Tiffany! He was amazing. Stood up for me in front of everyo

low cabs and bustling sidewalks. The city lights smeared across the rain-slicked streets,

plastic chair, feeling the curious stares of nurses who recognized her from society pages. Their whispers followed

ultrasound photo before tucking it into her purse. "Doctor says everything is perfect,

ding Isla had never seen before. Julian's secret apartm

re cavernous than ever. The marble floors echoed with each step, amplifying her loneliness. She he

and staircase when his voice, shar

have yo

f the stairs, bathed in the dim light of a single chandelier. He looked furious. She wa

enacing. "And then? Did you run straight to my grandmother

"What? No. I just got back.

eel vise, bruising and inescapable. "Don't lie to me," he snarled, his face inches from hers. "Ele

st have called the matriarch. "I didn't ca

aster suite-his bedroom, a room they hadn't shared since their wedding night three years ago. "You run to

er, his face contorted with a resentment so deep it looked like hatred. The memory of their wedding night-him standing in this very room,

ke through her composure. "Get of

e my wife, Isla," he said, his voice a low, dangerou

lar of her silk blouse. The sound of tearing

ries and thick walls. He pushed her back onto the bed, his weight pinning her down. His actions were bru

. Her body and spirit shattered under the assault. It was a physical manifestation of

venomously, "This is what you wanted, isn't it? The Beaumo

d, no remorse on his face, and began to straighte

y, clutching the torn remnants of her blouse to her chest. The phys

ent. "Amber is pregnant," he stated, as if she didn't kno

the room, leaving her alone

de a prison of pain and humiliation. The man she had once foolishly hoped might