Elsa woke to sunlight and shame. She was alone in the massive bed, the sheets cold where Gideon had been.
Her body ached, evidence of everything they'd done. Bruises on her hips, bite marks on her throat, his release still drying on her thighs.
She dressed quickly, her engagement party dress ruined, her dignity in tatters. She scribbled a note: Thank you — and fled, catching a cab to her apartment, her heart hammering with confusion and regret.
She showered twice, scrubbing his scent from her skin, trying to forget the way he'd looked at her — like he owned her, like he knew her and he would never let her go.
One night, she told herself. One mistake. Never again.
She called Mark's phone, ready to end it, to scream, to demand explanations. But the call went to voicemail, and before sh
