t was an eviction notice and a bill for Leo' s current hospital stay, a bill marked "Paid in Full by Vance Corporation." Attached

perhaps, but a cage nonetheless. I had no choice. With Leo' s life hanging in the balance, I p

ough for a narrow bed and a small dresser. The air was stale and suffocating. It was a world away from the sun

the party, the one with the diamond necklace. Her name was Isabella. She was e

ing with condescending sweetness. "Black, two sugars. And h

's so generous of Julian to take you in, Amelia. You should be ve

als burning my nose. Every task was a new humiliation, designed to remind me of my place. Isabella would drift b

ginary speck of dust. "We have certain standards here." Her words were light, almost playf

erous mask. He barely glanced at me. He was on the phone, his voice tight with anger. "I don't care what it

rs ago, smiling over a set of blueprints. He stared at it for a long moment, his jaw tight. Then, with a sudden, vi

w with a fury that had nothing and everything t

f glass were sharp, and I knew I had to be careful. My gaze fell upon the photograph, now freed from its frame, lying ami

rembling, Julian spoke again, his voice lo

ees and began to collect the tiny, glittering fragments of glass, my dignity shattering with every

like him. You promised you wouldn't be. The voice was filled with a pain so profound it momentarily silenced my own. I looked up at him, startled. H

d to my side, trying to breathe through it, trying to hide my weakness.

pouring a glass. "Get out," he said, not looking at me. He dismissed me as i

d heard his inner demons. It wasn't a comfort. It was terrifying. It meant the man who held my life in

ly, her voice a poisonous whisper. "He just has a temper. It's best not to upset him. I'd be very, very careful if I were you." She straightened the lapel of he