Chapter 117: Beyond Desire

The single word hung in the quiet Itachester air, a fragile, crystalline thing forged from months of pain. “Why?” It was not an accusation, not anymore. It was a raw, hollowed-out question from a woman who had been stripped of every certainty. Candace stood beside her, a protective sentinel, her arms crossed and her glare a palpable force field. She was ready for a fight, for the torrent of excuses she expected to pour from this man who had shattered her sister’s world. But Mario Walton...