Shattered Vows - The Empty Barrel Sounded Loud

as she slipped through, her heart pounding with the weight of her regret. Every step away from that room felt like a thousand miles, but it still wasn't far enough. B

ore morning. And she had been just another one of his conquests. --- **Later That Morning** The moment Isla stepped into her apartment, she kicked off her heels and collapsed onto the couch, exhaustion and humiliation wrapping around her like a vice. Her best friend, Elena, appeared from the kitchen, a coffee cup in hand. Her sharp blue eyes widened at the sight of Isla's disheveled state. "Oh. My. God. You did." Isla groaned, covering her face with a cushion. "Please, just don't." Elena wasted no time, plopping onto the couch beside her. "Oh no, we *are* talking about this. You disappeared with the most ruthless billionaire in the city and come back looking like you fought in a war. What the hell happened?" Isla exhaled slowly. "I was an idiot." Elena narrowed her eyes. "He was good, wasn't he?" A hot flush crawled up Isla's neck. "That's not the point." Elena's expression turned serious. "Did he hurt you?" "No," Isla muttered, then hesitated before adding, "Not in the way you mean." Elena frowned, waiting. Isla let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "He was gone when I woke up. No note, no message. Just a car waiting outside like I was some... transaction he needed to clear before his next meeting." Elena's expression darkened. "What an asshole." Isla swallowed the lump in her throat. She wanted to be furious, to scream, to erase the entire night from her memory. But the truth was, she had let it happen. She had *let* herself believe, even if just for a second, that there was something behind those dark eyes other than cold calculation. "What did I expect?" she muttered. "That a man like Killian Blackwood would-what? Stay and have breakfast? Whisper sweet nothings?" Elena placed a comforting hand on her arm. "You're not the idiot