Chapter 5
The Architect of His Ruin
Chapter 5
Clara stood in the sleek, minimalist corridor of Vance Designs, a ghost haunting her own house. For half a decade, she had only ever visited this floor to bring Julian lunch, wearing soft pastel cardigans, keeping her eyes downcast, smiling politely at the staff who whispered about the bo
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The atmosphere inside *L’Éclipse*, the city’s most exclusive French restaurant, was designed to foster intimacy. The lighting was low, casting a golden, candlelit glow over the white linen tablecloths. Soft jazz drifted from a grand piano in the corner. It was the kind of place where a ma
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The waiter had scarcely cleared their dinner plates before Julian’s phone buzzed again. He didn't answer it, but his eyes darted to the screen with the frantic, trapped energy of a cornered animal. The facade of the relaxed, in-control husband was dissolving by the second.
Clara sat sere