se

just a two-bedroom unit in a quiet part of town. I didn' t care about the amenities. All I needed was a place to be alone,

tine. Grayson would be home late, as always. He liked my cooking, or at least, he used to. I started preparing his favorite salmon, seasoning it just the way he preferred, brushing it with orange glaze. The aroma filled th

k under the lamp. I reheated it twice, three times. Each time, a fresh wave o

Not mine. Kira's. It clung to him, sweet and cloying. My stomach churned. I felt a cold dread settle in my chest, confirming e

registered my presence. He saw the plate of salmon. His lip curled. "What i

an answer. My gaze fell to his left hand. His ring finger was bare. Completely. No tan line. No in

ly audible. He paused, one foot on the first

my voice gaining strength. "They'

cument? Another 'misunderstanding'? " He scoffed. "And here I thought I was s

e filling the air, despite my obvious p

d be grateful I even looked at you." He blew a plume of smoke, watching it dissipate. "The will, as you so delicately put it, is just a

d face, the healthy image of my baby on the screen. My hand instinctively went to my belly. He

I pulled him from the wreckage, ignored my family's pleas to leave him to the authorities, and stayed by his side through we

hand, "I swear, if I survive this, I will make you the happiest woman on earth. I will inherit my family's legacy, and I

o Kira. My wedding was a low-key affair, a courthouse ceremony. My dress was

ears came. "And those vows, Grayson?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. "D

se. It's done. Over." He took another drag from his cigarette, then crushed it in a nea

He thought everything could be bought. Everything had a price.

orcing the word out. "I want nothing from you

ce, hoarse with sudden rage, cut through the silence. "You'

ft for him. Only for the girl I used to be, the