The Twin's Last Martian Wish

. I endured his coldness, his public affair with his mistress Gisele, and every humili

ed fiancé Julian's ashes. His last wish was to have them scattered on Mars, a drea

ed me for half a decade, refused. He laughed, then kissed me with a brutal possessivene

obsession. He offered me a real marriage, a child, a future I never wanted.

fulfill Julian's last wish-he didn't let me go. He broke. He abandoned his mi

g as he held me captive on his private jet. "We'll have chi

over by a monster's late-blooming love. This was the

pte

cfadd

even as they shattered the illusion he so ca

ugh he used when closing a multi-billion dollar deal, arrogant and utterly confident in his c

with the familiar edge of contempt. "What is it this time? Did

. That was a polite word for what I had endured for the

I stated, my voice steady despite the

th a cold amusement that Julian had never possessed. Clayton Parrish, tech mogu

on his lips. "And you're still here. Still play

e between us. He moved with the effortless grace of a predato

scoffed, slowly circling me. "The quiet acts of service, the unwavering loyalty,

ouldn't. This was all for Julian

he stopped directly in front of me. "Show me what a good wife looked like. Show me what I was

known it to be true from day one. I had chosen to be c

I said, bypassing his cruel assessment e

re not going anywhere." He reached out, his hand cupping my cheek. His touc

Julian had shared, a ghost of memory-filling my senses. He kissed me, a possessive,

g, to the NASA memorial vault, to the small, custom-designed locke

"See, Ada?" he murmured, a triumphant glint

windows that overlooked the glittering city. "Let's announce

back of my fingers. "What do you say, Ada? A little he

conceived and raised in this cold, transactional farce? It

. The word was soft, but it held the we

laced by a flicker of irritation. "No? What do you mean, no?

a distraction. You're different. You're... stable. You're quiet." H

erent things, Clayton," I replied, my voice

compliant. Don't start playing games now." He took a step cl

and diamonds, sashayed into the living room, her phone already poised for a selfie.

, still here, Ada? Don't you have a dog to walk, or some graphic d

Just finishing some business, my love." He slipped an arm around Gisele's w

don't know when to bow out gracefully, do they, darling?" She pressed a lingering kiss to Clayton's jaw, then turned

didn't ache. My stomach didn't clench. Th

r and steady. "It's called freedom." I looked di

nk so?" he challenged, his arm still wrapped around Gisele's waist, now

nothing without me. No money, no status, no

lutched in my hand, hidden from their view. I

a whisper, but firm enough to carry through the opul

ght, their tableau of infidelity the perfect backdrop for m