Ruthless Redemption

K (five

suffocating shroud. Days had passed since a single customer stepped through the door, and

ty street outside. Things hadn't been right for a long time. N

chipped away at his confidence until the man Emelia once knew - the lively, optimistic Marcus who could make her laugh with a singl

, but she was drowning in her own worries too. The spa was on the brink of collapse, and bills were piling up faster than she could k

umped, his expression hollow. Emelia's heart sank as she forc

oice unnaturally bright. "How d

e nearest chair, his eyes staring at the floor. The

her heart throbbing

aught. His eyes were rimmed red, his jaw clenched. The expression

ed, his voice a flat monotone. "An

ed to rush to him, to hold him, to promise him that things would get

man she loved unravel before her eyes. Marcus buried his face in his hands

trong and determined, always looking on the bright side. This Marcus was

elia cleared her throat, wiping at her eyes. "Le

cking up the register and flipping the 'Open' sign to 'Closed.' She grabbed he

rged gently, reac

lia's heart lurched, but she forced herself to smile, p

glancing over at Marcus, hoping he'd look at her, talk to her, reach for her hand li

and walked straight to the kitchen. Emelia watched him pull a half-empty bottle of whi

How much longer could she watch him fall apart?

e man who had ruined everything. And she knew, deep down, that if things didn't cha