The Night Villa was unusually quiet that afternoon.
Nina sat curled on the settee in the rose parlor, her hands shaking. The room smelled of lavender and old books—normally a comfort, but now it only tightened the knot in her chest. The silence was too loud, too threatening. Ryker hadn’t spoken to her properly since the hospital visit. He’d only nodded stiffly when she’d muttered something about needing rest.
She knew he didn’t believe her. Not completely.
The miscarriage lie had bought her a little sympathy, but not the security she craved. Her place in Ryker’s life felt like glass, beautiful, but fragile, ready to shatter.
And worse, Ryker had started asking questions.
He’d gone through her call logs, questioned the staff, and demanded which clinic she had gone to without him. He ev
