/1/117503/coverbig.jpg?v=41d44598d39f7c0791ab752d21797511)
deliberate motion in the darkness of their bedroom. "Julian
but he didn't push her away. One of his hands rested, heavy and indiffere
her veins, chasing away the usual chill. Maybe tonight would be different. S
e sound shatte
ed to life, a shrill, invasive rin
ediate and absolute. He pulled away from her so fast it felt lik
oss his chiseled features. And there it was. The name
aph
nto the pit of her stomach,
n a low, gravelly silence moments before, was sudden
ce on the other end, choked with tears. Words like "wrist"
ft, brutal efficiency, pulling on a pair of dark trousers
the floor seeped into her skin. She reached out, her fingers closing around his
evoid of warmth. He looked at her as if she were a stranger
her throat. "What could possibly be so wrong with Seraphi
he blow with surgical precision. "Her hand is injured. Remember the cha
had tripped over the hem of her own gown, but had tearfully imp
argued, her voice thin. "I
Seraphina is not a liar." The words were a verdict, a final jud
rumbled. "Can't you stay? Jus
t her, his expression a mask of pure derision. "
hat had never healed. She flinched, the hope
nd him, leaving her alone in the immense, silent room. A moment later, she heard the low growl of h
A profound, suf
chattering. She wrapped her arms around herself, but the cold was coming from the in
phone, her thumb swiping aimlessly through social
pped up at the top of he
the air leave her lungs in a painful rush. It was a close-up of a delicate female hand, a
trong, with long fingers and clean, short nails. A hand she knew as well as her own. On the wrist, the p
itten in a delicat
know how to make
t just a betrayal; it was a carefully curated perfor
She switched off the phone and let it fall from her numb fingers. The darkness of the roo
f quiet desperation-it all coalesced i
was t

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