Later that night, Nathan stepped into the mansion. The air was heavy, and the silence of the place seemed to mock him. Jasmine stood by the grand staircase, arms crossed, her expression tight.

“Where have you been?” Her voice trembled, barely masking her frustration.

Dressed in a sleek black nightgown, she looked every bit the elegant wife, but there was something fragile about her tonight. The shimmer of her long, dark hair, her soft skin illuminated by the dim lights—it was all lost ...