gh Camila as a humorless

pathetic woman wit

t by then, they had already spent eight years loving and raising their

ront of her, weeping as she pleaded, "Andreas is going back to inherit the family business. He ne

s off with him after

Andreas, it was make sure she nev

wealth, status, and everything success could offer.

her with no choice except to cling to the lie. "I

off your pants, then lie down on that bed." Andreas pulled on a clean pair of glove

wanted buried-those intimate moments before they made love, w

ed none of that old desire. His ga

etense. "Andreas, you're doing

he act. Contempt sharpened every trace of that smile. "So we're done pretending now? Tell me, Camila,

across her tongue, then forced the words out. "What, you still couldn't handle the breakup? It's been seven y

gh to make the air between them feel brittle. "Still that full of yourself, Camila? Ta

rgive her, much less offer her anything resembling kindness. She didn't care. She jus

to money, and now I have to put myself through all this trouble just to get the surgery. Families at that level have

's restraint finally snapped, a menac

. She held his stare and dragged a smile onto her lips, even as her voice quivered despite her best effort

d to the examination table. Her fingers had gone n

My soon-to-be husband wouldn't exactly appreciate my ex-boyfriend putting his hand

de to leave. Andreas' hand snapped around her wrist withou

rather degrade yourself just to marry into m

he was throwing the same que

sharp and merciless, like a blade ha

ring a smile colder and more cutting than the one she had given him seven years earlier. "Can dignity put food on the table? Andreas,

Cruelty was the only weapon she had left, and all sh

dy crumbling. She bit down until the co

id before his fingers

ately marched

e present from seven years ago-yet someh

id she tur

red after her, something dark and impos

ung up

a j

e had torn Camila's name from his h

otions that had lain dead for years came ro

e. She had lost so much weight that she was practically unrecognizabl

h every breath until he felt ready to burst. Unable to endur

. I want to know exactly w