“Good.” He went back to his meal, and I tried to mimic him, to pretend I was a normal person having a normal dinner. But my hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold my fork. That night, sleep was a foreign country. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the house groan and settle around me. Every creak was a footstep in the hall, every rattle of the wind against the window was a tap on the glass. My own home felt like a haunted house, and I was the primary ghost. Around 2 a.m., I gave up. My mouth was like sandpaper. I needed water. The house was dark, bathed in the pale, milky glow of a full moon that streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room. I froze on the bottom step, my heart hammering against my ribs. Marcus was there. He was sitting in one of the armchairs, a glass of amber liquid in his hand, staring out at the manicured back garden. He was still in his suit, but his tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt was undone, revea
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