The Unwanted Substitute's Desperate Runaway

ne-faced housekeeper. The woman simply stepped aside, he

le fireplace. Eliot was sitting on a low-slung sofa, a heavy crystal tumbler of whi

e flames, as if she were nothing more th

d and dread. This calculated indifference was worse than a

deliberate, and walked into the living room.

om him. "I'm here," she said,

a slow, deliberate inspection from the tips of her worn boots to h

, then patted the empty space on

ing the last few steps and sitting down on the edge of

he glass, brushed agains

you," he murmured, his voice lace

e couldn't look at him. "

rning," he interrupted, his tone bored. He paused, th

s stripped away the last of her defenses.

eyes, her gaz

er of irritation crossed his face. He hadn't wanted a ghos

ng down on hers. The kiss was not tender or passionate. It was a punishm

ated to a distant, numb place where none of this could touch her. She endured it, telling herself t

went into the en-suite bathroom. The sound of the

listening to the running water. She felt

m the hallway, she found her clothes, her fingers fumbling with buttons

was several blocks away, the cold pavement biting at her bare feet. The

new lease was in her inbox. Lina was ecstatic, thinking a miracle had occurred. A

omehow survived the purge. It was for a local jewelry desig

ehind the lens of her camera, the familiar weight a sm

shoulder. "The model is here. S

looking up, adjust

is Olivia

l. She slowly lowered her camera

r small entourage. She looked radiant, energized, g

owing smile. The smile of a predator that has

d on her camera, her