midnight, and Rafael s

every second of silence that passed. The city lights glimmered in the distance like a thousand m

he sweet man she once knew had grown distant, unreachable. She had told herself he was just stressed, that he was trying to keep the family business from falling apart

slipping away from her -

g they had endured. Not after the nights she had stayed up just to hold his hand, to remind him that no matter what the

d of measured footsteps echoed down the marble hall, growing closer. And then he appeared - Rafael, in his sharp

disheveled look that ma

the p

perfume clung to him - flor

flinch when he

tly, as if the sight of her was n

er voice. "You didn't

e table and shrugged off

ess?" she a

was brief

es

ed, and her legs felt weak. "You smell l

ade hi

yes held no guilt. Only exhaustion. Only indiff

er hands clenched at her s

nce was

voice shook. "You sai

jaw clenched.

cked the air

tunned. "Is that all our marriage i

hair. "This marriage was never supposed to happen like thi

th pain. "Don't you dare make it sound like I forced this. You a

king. "God, I tried! I tried to make it work. But it's not wor

e world crumbled in that moment. The last thread of h

leave? You run back to your mothe

ened. "You don't k

ve everything handed to me, to have a family who manipulates my life and calls it pr

linc

eft behind a life, my family, my dreams. I endured your mother's cruelty, your sister's insults,

, and Rafael looked away, guilt flicke

want to leave, then leave. But don't pretend y

k away, but his v

s pre

na f

art st

at.

regnant. And my mother wants the

gainst the wall, struggling to breathe. "You got

thing. That wa

Was this the plan all along? Get rid of me and bring in your pr

for it to hap

and watched your family destroy me piece by piece. An

orry,

ars. "No, you're not. You're relieved.

ing for her, but she back

and d

d numbly, her voice hollow. "I

she had been hours ago, but as someone who had finally tast

know was that Alayna he

uld change

ntention of walk