barely

silent. Her mind spun with headlines, forced smiles, a

hours, hoping for coffee and a sliver of sanity. Instead, she found Damien

ep?" she asked

e who aren't trying

jaw. The way his fingers hovered over the keyboard li

turn it off

cked up. "Tu

trol. The... bill

crack in him-a flicker of the boy he must'

it wa

the reality," he said coolly. "And what abou

omach

he video. Not really. And he definite

nces she was st

left in the past," she

t flowers. Not champagne. But a sealed manil

y. Her name was written in

it slowly

Grainy, candid sho

from t

hotel room. One showed them kissing in a club. Another-her asleep in

art st

pregnancy test, sitting on

nearly

bout that. Not even her

ago. And she'd miscarried two week

e behind her

t's

shoving the photos b

thi

She could see it in the

pping closer. "What a

greed this marriage was for ap

at means keeping the vultures away. And whatever'

her jaw. "I'l

r like she was a chess piece he couldn't quite p

new it wa

ven c

n's lawyer summoned

ver a thick stack of legal files. "Mr. Blackwe

h sank. "W

ny activity that could further scandalize or damage the Blackwell

im. "He thinks

n't answer. He

ng else until I speak t

asn't answer

to the penthouse

each other," she said, fury vibrati

tecting myself. You've got skeleto

dea what I've

enligh

r voice trembled.

in the air li

dn't change, but his s

e time that video surfaced. I lost it.

moment, something raw

a

pat

as gone

elling me this

knows. And they'r

ho

... they have pictures. From months ago. They eve

ned. "Do you still

led through it, his fingers

e muttered. "These were personal. So

cold. "You t

omeone worki

isappeared after the scandal. Cut off contac

d grimly. "Not when you're a

Elena couldn't hear, locked i

ble. He didn't speak, didn't acknowledge he

for several minutes, torn bet

e returned

ed into bed, he

wn Nu

him everything, El

lood

d back: W

rep

Her hands shook. Her pu

thought

t just abo

s about

ut

nted to ruin her lif

y'd jus