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ight that, honestly, she hoped would remind her husband
he had ever
e the room was filled with white roses, because Lucian once said they reminded him of their first winter together. Dinner waited in the next
ards, it wasn't flash
s per
ng for their anniversary. She wanted to show him she
cked he
7 p
id he'd be th
sappointment pulled at her. He was probab
le was insane. Lately he seemed out of reach-even more meetings, surprise wor
noti
rse sh
You start making excuses f
supposed to
dding an
yea
m away from the meetings, the family, the reputation that came with being a
gift box in her bag an
wasn't fu
Lucian always
d it, jus
in, she heard a man's
raphina won't be m
pped br
didn't make any sense. Her brain refused to be
ob
me. She hadn't
er hand drop, the one
g about someone els
icu
h floated out. Soft
ien
nne L
events with him, always seemed to know where he was when Seraphina didn't. She'd once smiled a
'd even defended her when peopl
around the bottle, dig
uld hav
way before seeing someth
e pushed th
le in her hand, but the chilled champagne beside the b
lk dress o
hite shirt hanging open, dark hair a mess. Vi
na just
ed for any innoc
wasn
spun unde
g day, their first apartment, quiet mornings before work, anniversaries
watching the man she'd trusted with
cia
unded strang
heet tighter. Lucian didn't move, didn't sc
most more th
me the man she thought she knew. The man who'd com
reached for his shi
aphi
hort laugh. Rag
w I was
n't eve
s jaw c
"I didn't know sh
whipped
nig
shut he
sn't the problem. Tonight, she'd simply stumbled on
red at
w l
le
ong, L
th
yes b
Before my birthday? Before tha
aphi
on
out sharper th
pped fa
bag suddenly f
stressing over her dress, picking out Lucian's favorite wi
nted to bu
shoulders and lo
you were alwa
went hard. "I ne
hina
eeping with
make him c
ce was so calm
glanced
hat t
ent. Which sa
d hardly
ld have
kno
ended our marria
kno
ooked me in the eyes and
n, and for the first time, h
u love
back. Silenc
ch would be worse-a
, Lucia
has been over f
g way worse than
swal
w l
ant to do
t here." Her voice shoo
ightened. Maybe, for a second, something lik
ould go
e she waited for him to come back? The bed growing colder? Where s
into h
n wat
box, stared at it, then set it
ed, puzzled.
na igno
ked at
anniv
, just barely. His ey
erself not to break down in front of them. Five years spent
ed for t
spoke.
stop
she heard th
rned s
eaching for a black leather folder on
it up, hol
hina
is t
xpression
e noticed something re
ot shame-som
red the
voice low, "we might as w
na didn
oes tha
n ope
e stare
HINA
PETITION F
gers we
e was steady,
ady made m
hadn't stumbled into her husband's affair-s
rs were about to open a door to a secret that
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