The Breaking Point
The morning sun was cruel in its warmth—mocking, golden, and soft against the cold steel of Selena’s resolve. The windows of the mansion framed the world beyond like a painting, beautiful and unreachable. She stood before it, bare feet on the marble floor, her breath fogging faintly on the glass, as if she were caged inside a snow globe of wealth and silence. Everything shimmered, but nothing was free.
She hadn’t slept.
Not because Alec had kept her awake—he hadn’t touched her last night. He’d watched her instead. Watched her with those eyes that could see through bone, through breath, through pretense. He knew. She’d felt it in his silence, in the way his hand hovered at her waist before withdrawing, like he couldn’t decide whether to possess her or punish her.
Sele
