The storm didn’t pass.

It lingered.

Headlines blurred into one another. 'THE SILENT WIFE', 'MARRIAGE OR MERGER?', 'CHRISTABEL’S CONFESSION', 'MATTHEW CAINE’S MUTE MISTRESS'. The news cycle devoured Moira’s face, her silence, her body, even her supposed motives—shaping her into something convenient.

A pawn. A tragedy. A calculated seductress. A lie.

Moira scrolled through them with a detached calm she didn’t feel. Her phone buzzed so frequently it overheated, the screen warm ...