Francesca pressed herself against the cold wall, tears sliding down her face as a soft, bitter laugh escaped her lips.

Forgiveness? Why should she forgive him? When her world was crumbling, when despair wrapped her so tightly she couldn't breathe, Julian had been with Beatrice. Had he ever considered the torment raging in her heart, the agony of losing someone she loved?

Her gaze dropped, settling on Julian’s face.

Slowly, she extended her slender, ...