SSA

OURS EA

ee table. The table was littered with unopened bills a

. My head hung low, shame tightening its noose around my neck as I tr

t to rem

her

up in for the past few days. I hadn't much of a choice

irst week I moved in, the musty stench refused to leave. It had become par

nce again, my mind betrayed

lia

uly owned me, before I tore he

n who had stuck with me through this hell storm I called life. But one look at his face told me he wasn

hing the bottle away and setting it somewhere out of my

Networking? Who the hell wo

t-I never did-but I was exhausted. Tired of feelin

eek back envelope on the table, the initial

"There's a charity ball

As I suspected, it was her ball. I flung t

at. "I'm n

, Alessandre," he said

sn't aski

uation was messed up. Why would he think I'd go to something like that-an e

ingle achievement she made was etched in my mind like scripture. I lived and breathed her from a di

uld des

oftened when he saw t

on the edge of the table after sweeping aside some of the paperwork. "One

e her,

It felt foreign in my throat. I barel

ied. "We need to restart. A fresh face if you wi

respond, he

ld times' sake. Besides, we have

d maybe, just maybe, I didn't want to b

before a mirror already

aircut and slipped into the suit Matteo had brought. But the man staring at me in

tion and walked into the cramped l

Alessandre I kn

or myself- but I'd cleaned up for her. On the off-chance that our path cr

armed like flies, but somehow, Matteo managed to get us

used to rub shoulders with when I still had something to offer

silent. Everyone's attention was focused on the grand staircase and when I follo

e sh

ang

she was, she stood beneath a

saw the lust in the eyes of the men aro

ed her. Or wa

uldn't b

erfall of night, just as I remembered. She hadn't changed

ase, still frozen in place by her

rged forward and sudde

all that blurred in comparison to th

Warm, real and so

never felt

s drowning, falling over again, lost in their fiery depths. The fire I'd sworn

want to

h burned her, and the look she ga

a strained smile took over her fe

ning her gown with both hands-a nervous tick of hers I rememb

d

omethin

ed her

hel

t my mouth i

the ice in her gaze s

d walked away, taking my alre