Fractured ties

hed furniture and tangled bedsheets, lingering like an intruder caught between desire and shame. It paused where two figures lay, unmoving-man an

stirred

t she hadn't meant to touch. A body too warm. Too solid. Too male. Her fingers-faithless and foolish-ha

hed her h

through he

him. At whatever twisted fate had consp

s long. Normally, the bed was cold by the time she woke, his absenc

him-this man who wore cruelty like a second skin. But sleep had stolen some of it. His face now, in the hush of dawn, was almost...

hair clung damp

e of her own movement. Her f

o

o

lse st

ev

pine like ice. She lea

is eyes sn

arp. Ter

ut not fast enough. His hand shot up,

u doing?" he rasped,

u were alright," she whispered,

How touching. The little wh

d unwell. I was goin

oice slashed across her skin. "Don'

lf upright, sl

I'll

oing?" he demanded, suspicio

to get lost.

use," he said coldly, "Because,

ng. Really. Try not to miss me to

gold-digging little nothing in borrowed silk

you think you're desirable? With your

a slap. His jaw clenched, eyes

er," he said softly, deadly,

slow and deliberate.

tention that ba

that

-but he caught it. Easily. Fing

ckingly. "Violence? That'

nst the wall. The air l

e taunted. "G

of turning myself in. Maybe prison's better t

flared-and

her throat, not c

cl

is mouth c

. A punishment. Her body fought him, her fists beat weakly aga

e married. So you'll act like it. Do you know how difficult it is to see you

idn't

n't

heart hammering like a trapped bird. She didn't look at him

s her l

ce with

ge with

is gilded prison, s

yná moved through the vast, impersonal rooms like a ghost, her bare feet silent on the polished floors. The afternoon light shifted, painting the grand hallways in long

th

Unmis

from the

her veins. Despite everything, despite the venomous words and brutal touch, a primitive in

beckoning. She pushed it open, her hand trembl

rom her throat, a choked c

ered his hair to his forehead, and his shirt, usually so crisp and immaculate, was soaked through. His skin was the colour of ash, a

te. She tried to steady him, to lift his heavy frame, a desperate attempt to find a purchase on his unrespo

ble, a pathetic echo of his earlier command. His strength was gon

oice cracking with panic. She pressed a pa

ling the

escaping his lips, but the words were lo

line connected, and she rattled off the address, her voice breathless, relaying his symptoms in a rushed t

her apron dusted lightly with flour, had been heading towards the kitchen, the comforting aroma of baked goods clinging to her. Her expr

self into the lines around her eyes. "Collapsed?" she mu

rious." The words tumbled out, laced with a vulnerability she hadn't reali

moving, her usual gentle pace quickening. She brushed a reassuring h

reathe,

fore she could stop them, a strange mix of anger at his self-destructi

ed simply, her gaze steady, discerning

g" Alayna mut

, they managed to help him up, his dead weight challenging their resolve. They half-carried him, his arm slung over Alayná's shoulder, his heavy frame leaning against her, a burden and a strange intimac

er breath, wiping a hand across her brow, her

und, panic fraying her voice. His skin was radiating heat eve

bracing a fortress against the encroaching fear. "Calm

lowing Alayná to lean into her strength, to momentarily

gile

y lost in the battle against the fever. Mrs. Curran stood nearby, her arms folded across her chest, a profound worry etched into her brow, her gaze fixed

ry the weight of his diagnosis. "He's severely exhausted, Mrs. Curran. His body's shutting down from stress. H

pale, sweat-soaked face, a silent understanding passing betwe

n was stable and just needed extensive rest, he gathered his things and left, leaving behind a

e her-the familiar, comforting aroma, the warmth radiating from the ceramic, a welcome anchor in the chaos that had

hed her with quiet, knowing eyes

her voice a balm. "This storm will pass. All this pain-it wil

nny... if you're going to tell me to run, I'm not doing it. That would make me look

ot asking you to run. Just to hold on. To cling to your strength. One day, my child, this w

e thick with unshed tears, blinking

gh of the wind outside. A restless urge, a pull she couldn't ignore, drew her back to Aiden's room. Sh

s damp with the lingering effects of the fever, his hair disheveled. He hadn't stirred since they laid him

ght around herself, a silent, in

d she

im like this, so utterly helpless? He hated her. His words, his actions, were a const

st

. It was a feeling she fought against, a weakness she despised. It was a betrayal

room, a sanctuary she had claimed, where shadows welcomed her l

soft mattress offering little comf

nown she possessed. But it had also steeled something inside her, a quiet

't pray

unk beneath a tide of b

ed for s

end

ise

one

he brutal injustice he had inflicted upon her soul. The though