The other woman was ME
-
TER
an in t
ing between the hedgerows like secrets. The villa felt suspended in time, l
taste of chamomile settling on her tongue. Her sketchbook lay open acr
s afra
charcoal felt like pos
ing then, thinking love was a switch you could flick off. But now? With every glance, every
dn't know
r creak
en
be, her face bare, hair slightly t
sturbing you," she
" Mia replie
ing with the cloudy glass. She didn't look at Mia
her head. "
r to do the one thing she
t her hands tightened around
isn't weakness.
but I'm not brave. I'm bitter. I'm afraid. And I'm a
ween them like sto
"I'm not trying to t
cracked for the first ti
ce, the rawness set
room and sat across fro
ll you about t
ook he
along. A boy." Elena's eyes clouded. "We named
nctively moved t
we lost each other, too. Damian built walls. I built
said gently. "I
. "This tension. This mess. Damian's sil
times... I think I s
ked at he
quickly. "But because I wonder if
d. "You're insightfu
t mean
away for a few days. Paris. There's a fo
d. "Safe
ever happens, Mia... don't lose yourself in thi
-
t N
t without Elena's late-night piano or the
ght, she
rs whose eyes seemed to follow her. She ended up at the indoor pool-d
led her was no
as D
mming. Alo
t and scarred in a way that suggested not accidents-
the edge
w
ck. "I'm sorry
," he
she
breath steady but thick with something unspoken. He reached for a tow
sleep eithe
N
eam
mor
er. "Yours or
led. "Ma
ng onto the marble floor. "This... th
t wa
self. "The way it's starting to feel l
Are you afraid o
hers. "I'm afraid of wha
harged-lightning just under skin, just behi
step back
fro
supposed to happen. Le
ike every muscle in his
mething that was
at," Mia said softly
efore she could do so
hing she
-
ext M
the balcony with
ey bribed the chef at
his how billionaires apolo
usually a wire transfer. T
oken through the fog at last, gild
him last night,
ch. "Did he almos
es
mutual. Whi
"Elena lef
d a brow. "
ly above a whisper. "I'm starting to think I
away. But when he did
u w
-