After another round of intimacy, the night had grown late.
Lydia wrapped herself in a bathrobe and walked barefoot across the carpet. She reached for Sebastian's belt, but he turned away.
"That is enough for tonight," Sebastian said. "I have to be up early."
He had been distracted all evening.
Lydia's smile stiffened for a moment, then softened again. She moved behind him, pressed herself against his back, and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"Sebastian, why are you so cold tonight?" Lydia asked. "You were never like this before. You always said that woman was boring."
Sebastian pulled her arms away and turned around. Under the light, his face looked flat and empty.
"Lydia Vale," he said, using her full name for the first time. His voice was cold and clipped. "Your only purpose no
