raphina woke up befo

carpet silencing her footsteps. She nee

o the home

ina st

walke

stened on his chest, highlighting muscles that were harder, more d

d when he

suspe

im in nightmares. In person, the imp

surprised. He

he wants," he said. His

cardigan tighter around her c

is scent-sandalwood and sweat-washing over

lize

low

same room where he had exiled

pulled a file from a drawer.

e just 'working through things.' If she knows I filed for divo

fountain pen a

ent to play the role of the estranged wife attempting reconciliation. In ex

lie to a dying woma

ve her peace," Julian

run a background check on me, J

ich gutter you crawled out of. I don't want to know anything about your li

he almost flinched. He hadn't checked. He didn't k

ned the

ch. S

it back to

nd. He ran his thumb over the calluses on her palm

he muttered, sta

and away as if h

en't," s

ling out a black card. "Buy some clothes. You look like

red at the ca

come home charade for

d his ba

eart was pounding. He didn'

s the only thing keep