Unlike the harmonious and almost enviable household of Arnav and Raellyn, Arsene felt as though he was standing on the edge of a precipice, staring into the abyss of his own mistakes. Every step forward seemed dangerous, every word he uttered to his wife weighed down by unspoken guilt. He knew he had been a fool, a selfish, reckless man. For all his charm and confidence, he could not deny the truth that gnawed at his conscience: he had once fallen for another woman while already bound to a wife who was nothing short of radiant. Sylvia was beautiful in her own right, tender and loving, and yet… he had betrayed the sanctity of their marriage, even if only for a fleeting, forbidden spark.
His affair with Raellyn. If he could even call that tangle of desire and guilt an affair was over. At le
