ng in his mouth. He rolled over to find Scarlett still asleep beside him, her makeup slightly

y measured spoonful of Manuka honey and a thin slice of lemon. It wa

s, Seraphina had always prepared that drink for him, no matter how l

champagne, gourmet cheeses, and caviar-all ordered by Scar

e bedroom and sho

Make me b

d herself out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen. The sounds that followed were no

the yolks firm and rubbery. He only ate sunny-side-up eggs with runny yolks. The

strous breakfast, a musc

ite," he said, push

ooked genu

tand. I made br

who had worked for the Beaumont family for d

irritation making

ely out of my

her expression resp

She had her own method... the water temperature, the honey

froze halfway

er wave of irritation rising in him. "Wher

ay, sir," Mrs. Gable replied calmly. "She said it

ed to leave

matching blue thread, were the initials S a

the sofa. The brand of coffee in the pantry. The silence in the apartment itself. H

withdrew without another word. Scarlett watched

s phone again. He

ne to call her number. It ra

view. Seeing an unfamiliar number flash across the screen, she

e backup phone

as l

hated

m. But a cold and unfamiliar feeling was quietly spreading through him

like phantom limb pai

her out o

he was the

f the machinery of his everyday life, something so deeply woven in

ression on his face as a pois

e clothes Seraphi

on Seraphina's

he marks Seraphina had left

d to linger in this apartment, Scarlett knew she

to do so

ld make that shado

ething he only did when he

e city beyond the window and, for the first ti

he never