My thumb lingered against the cool gold resting over her pulse, watching the micro-shivers run through her fingers as she processed the heavy metal cuff.
She stared down at it like it might burn her, her dark eyes wide and searching. I saw the wall in her mind rebuilding itself—the fear of gold cages, the fear of hidden clauses, the ghost of every transactional relationship that ever defined my bloodline.
"I'm not trying to buy you, Sienna," I said, every word heavy and low in the quiet hallway. "I bought this because I catch myself staring at empty space across the kitchen counter when you're working late in your studio. I wanted you to wear something that reminds you that you exist in my head even when you're not standing right in front of me."
Her breath hitched. The defensive stiffn
