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ago. A single, frantic messag
collapsed. They've taken her to
he marble staircase of the penthouse she never felt was hers, past the doorman who still
ach breath a ragged gasp. The oak double doors at the end of the corridor were her only focus. Eleanor. The only person
y door open, her pa
wasn't the sharp, antisep
s fre
freesia. Baylie Kan
was a small sitting area with a glass coffee table. Straight ahead
inds on the inner door's window, she c
llows. She was wearing a silk robe, her honey-blonde hair perfec
ge of the bed, holdin
husb
ng something, his voice too low to hear, but the expression on his face was one Ciel had only e
sical clenching so tight it stole her breath. Her hand,
nge let out a
as e
mask of cold fury. His gray eyes, the color of a storm-tossed sea, locked
from a corner of the sitting area. He held a beautifully
him. He didn't look at Ciel. He walked to the glass coffee table and tos
cover. The bold, black lett
ION AND CONFIDENT
His voice was flat,
. Her throat was tight, dr
ving a nervous breakdown. The media, the online trolls... it's all
t. You agree to take full responsibility in the press
trength to look at him, at his perfect, cruel face. "The hotel inc
hat again, Ciel. That pathetic victim act i
oom, a soft, perfectly
of his suit jacket and pulled out a heavy, black Mont
ordid history of your time in the New York foster care system wil
er c
ving a cold, terrifying vacuum. That was her line. The one thing she had fo
their marriage flash before her eyes: the silent dinners, the separate bedrooms, the way he looked through her
hat, the fight
ng in her chest slowed to a dull, steady rhythm. The
cry. She di
ovements calm, almost graceful
s. He had expected a scene. Tears. Bargaining. This quiet compliance was
paper. It made a soft, scratc
l D
ge, the elegant script a stark con
ss the glass table toward him. Her movement
Her heels made no sou
ie
tight. He hadn't me
he door but did
id, her voice a low, empty whisp
ed back into the hallway. The door clicked s
lection in the mirrored walls. A pa
n for the ground floor. She pr
igned. Now, it was
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