had learned to link with existence. She painted purposefully, hesitantly, doubting,
to dark and deep and midnight blue-are too unrefined. She hadn't p
ever warmed it. Chilly kept her awake. S
the brush, bristles scrap
amm
more. Painting had once been a way to escape living. Now it was almost an autop
nock on t
eart s
nocked at
a towel, glancing at the c
due-again. Or worse, some self-righteous buyer trying to wh
n the door, teeth clen
lung it open, t
way stood th
lack suit, shoulders set, face thinner than she reme
ander
whitened on
No
eight years carefully getting over forgetting. Forgetting
her door as if there had ev
e bite in his voice wors
quality of his voice against th
re?" Steel icicles leaped off her lips, t
gering too long as if he was co
e to se
shly, bitterly. O
No
lar
on. "You don't get to just s
line, but it was still as empty as ever. He
ou," he sa
inside he
even speaking to me? When you just left me sitting here alone, by myself
accustomed to all those yea
ched tightly around her arms. "I don't care what
on his face. Remorse? Regret? No.
ay you,"
ides tur
h shock. "You think I'm i
a snake's voice, as he walked towards the blank canvases,
burned.
o commissi
to
illion
made a ne
eing in her life. But a million dollars would keep her studio afloa
ew it. Dam
and steeled hersel
ok at the same cold, cutthroat billionair
something in his eye
ed expr
ed gl
he edge of her brain. Alex
omething a
ed her arm
couple of inches, as
. "I have li
ion in e
?" She asked
e half-truth, or so
t thing
L
t not the w
had so almost broken, the tension in his fists at his hips as if he was hold
se, of reason, somethin
s electric, something on
x did say something, hi
ase,
ike a slap. Alexander Hayes d
was. On her p
uld shut
oney, and shove it up into whatever damn cr
inted h
bounds of the real world. This was not merc
was bu
hing
teeth in a hard l
-halfway to a snar
Do
ubled back i
in her soul fo
kind of, it was kinda like