S

ted it placed gently on the glass desk

ns. Pain

ce. Then aga

me in the gut ha

IN

s medica

s schoo

eed

ken rela

(or lac

arents

it car

oll

ea

out of th

he Eiff

y pr

n underwa

lla to D

wn boutiqu

ress that fits me

py witho

e bought. I just

le t

should've

ke her... they wer

my chin. There was a tightness in my chest I did

u

upposed to

autiful distraction. A body to spend time wi

sn't. Not

made me want to destroy anything that had ever h

led out my phone and dial

ed to the best private school in the city-uniforms, books, everything. Also send me

ir. Tim

p. And call Kai and Levi

et her suffer-not when I had the

y hurts, someth

ever happe

with over the years, I'd never felt

n this world. We had history. A lifetime of l

id complications. Keep feelings out of the ga

shattering

he looked at her like she wa

ut I saw the softness in h

d

d to ke

st her

laug

loya

fi

ever have to choose between her

to ask for anything and that on

livery complete. Items received by elderly gua

aled

bare minimum

otsteps down the hal

v

ffice, holding the hem of her nightdress like

to her room, I reviewed the security footag

desk after dropping the list. Like she was scared t

she

she

efoot, the same way someone might walk

herself, and stare at the ceiling for

y. But she also

l deciding if she could liv

e damn sure

V

inst it, stretching like a cat beneath the covers. I had slept without interruptions. No

was still and fragrant with fresh linen and something su

er wasn

n the hush of the house, but it wasn't a bad k

se was alive but calm. Staff moved gracefully, bowing their heads when they passed

hef, who looked up from garnishing a p

it would be

hen I spilled flour, laughed when the chef mimicked a French accent so terribly that I cried act

ass of cucumber water as I looked out the wind

I was carrying the weight o

head back upstairs, the

lar box wrapped in deep red ribbon. "This was delive

escaped me a

g-stemmed rose and a sm

Your driver

nature. But I d

art s

time-it was al

g lavender oil swirl into the steam as I slipped inside. My skin melted into the w

w how to keep

I didn't want t

d to be

. One was black and slinky-dangerous. The other, blood-red silk that clung to every cu

e gold hoops. I brushed and styled my hair into a sleek

unded at the door. The chef rolled in a tray with

trength," he said

ghed

fume Asher had left for me-roses and sandalwood-and sli

when I ste

a word, and I slid into the luxury car w

e this

I wouldn

I wouldn'

urrender, I would d

s re