Battl

d saw shards of jagged glass sp

, her voice devoid of remorse, her eyes

ched straight up to her and deliver

ound of heavy boots approaching the hallway, her hand reversed course,

shrinking into herself. "Why are you hitti

ely by his blind, furious accusation: "She's your sister! Ca

tea-pouring act straight f

med photograph of our club ceremony from two years ago-the image of A

hrough my mind, now looking like

trait still resting safely on the desk, I picked it up, pressed it against my ribs,

o the background as I strode straight out of the st

h clothes and technical schematics. Before I could zip the side compartment,

dden, suffocating drop in the room's temperat

ked into the adjacent walk-in closet

s, bags, and jewelry Alec had instructed his road captain to purc

drawer, where my mother's

led on loyal women, pointing out Alec's illegitimate heritage and warning me that

tionship had grown cold, and we hadn't spo

den, searing wave of heat

tightly around my waist, his warm bre

e. I gripped his forearms, tryin

traight days... isn't this w

t, devoid of any genuine tenderness, his breath b

ommunication had eroded into cold silences over the

I realized he simply viewed me as a

vra's bed yesterday, and tonigh

e on my wrist, still feveris

me like something fragile;

ve him back. But Alec's grip tightened, slamming me ba