The Broken Ballerina's Secret Paris Escape

mahogany dining table was co

through the skin, past the muscle,

emory that predated her injury by decades, was busy with the linen napkin. Without looking, her fingers creased, folded, and tucked the fabric. Within seconds, a

ock. Ti

a hammer against the si

ck in the

e pastry, once golden and flaky, now looked soggy and defeated under the dim cha

er phone for th

blindingly bright

w mes

ours ago: Happy 5th Anniversary

ined on

f electricity shot up her right leg, originating from the scarre

ng for the spasm to pass, th

, the truffle mash, and the glazed carrots. She watched the crane she had folded teet

energy, and she was running on fumes.

Whir.

on the front door sliced throu

was a violent, physical reaction-a Pavlovia

as h

l, smoothing down the silk of her

d in, bringing a gust

ed no wrinkles, his hair was perfectly coiffed, and his jawlin

s a scent cl

the smell of cold wind and

ero

he owned. It wasn'

her mouth upward. It felt

softly. She reached out

side-st

ng as if her fingers were coated in hydrofluoric acid that would burn through his cashmere. He prac

e, then landed on her face. There was no

tie, pulling it from his collar wit

should have been. She lowered it slowly to her side,

y, Fielding," she wh

hand stilled on the t

ething in his eyes-guilt? Annoyance? I

he said, his voice clipped. "I

hing against hers, hard enough to mak

ew over his shoulder. "I don't have the

he master bedroom, his s

he phantom pain in her leg th

otional

th her husband on their annive

the lingering scent of tuberose

off. Fielding was already in bed, his back to her s

a slip of pale blue silk, one he had bought her three

t like she w

ery edge, afraid that if she moved too

ets wer

ws dancing on the ceiling. The distance between the

. She needed to feel something

tively, Ariel

cotton of his t-shirt, res

's muscl

ke a steel trap snapping shut, a physiologica

at up, the movement violent

muttered, his voice

ctically ran to the bathroom,

nded on the empty sheet. The warmth h

The shower in the penthouse

leep. But tonight, something pulled at her. Maybe it w

The carpet was plush under her

wasn't fully latched; a sliver of

er hammered aga

n she h

at wasn't

oan. The sound of a man i

f. He was stressed, and she had been pressuring him, and now he had

r hand to knock, to apologize, to offer

inna

sperate, but it cut through the noise

g. The air in her lung

.. god, C

nging so raw, so painful, that it vi

fell from t

leg gave way, and she coll

l, silent to the man moaning an

tress. It wasn't the scars

ove. Just n

trying to hold her shattering heart inside her ribcage. T

ne masking the pain in her knee, an

p to her chin, her tee

motionless. Her eyes were closed, feigning sleep, but under

ack into bed, sighed contentedly

es in the dark. The

out of her, replaced b