th a soft, cheerful chime that sounded

his footsteps on the floor. Jere stepped into the dark penthouse, the rustle of fabric tel

ld. He paused near the doorway. He must have smelled the faint, lingering scent of antiseptic from

sat on the edge. Deliah could feel the heat radiating from him,

her shoulder. His hand

d before her mind could stop it, jerking a

nd hovering in the

he smell of a conference room, stale coffee, or the crisp scent of his usual cologne. It was sweet. Sic

d nose, or perhaps it was just the association that made it repulsive, but

ndaged hand in the folds of the fabric. The darkness hid her f

ced. It was the voice he used for shareholders. "It was

hadn't seen the photo, she would have believed him. She would ha

or him, a way to seek intimacy to assuage his

lips landed awkwardly on her cheek.

ion seeping into his tone

iet, almost a whisper. "

effortlessly. "We

r throat, burning and acidi

a slight pause in his breathing. He hadn't expected her to notice. He hadn't bothered to chec

through the sheer curtains. He noticed the white

into that register of concern that used to

s nothing. Just a broken glass." She paused, letting the silence st

e f

n realizing he had made a tactical error. Their third wedding anniversary had been two days ago. He had mis

sharply. "Deliah, I'm sorry. With the m

days," Deliah said, her voice trembli

ay coming up in a few weeks, or perhaps hers. He didn't rea

an unreasonable child. "I'll make it up to you. I b

back to him. She stared at the wal

ough explaining. He stood up and walked to the bathroom. A moment later, she heard the sh

for the first time in three years, she didn't feel t