The door clicked shut behind the last of the movers, sealing me inside a room that defied everything I understood about guest quarters.
The ceiling soared high above me, disappearing into midnight-blue crown molding. The walls were charcoal velvet, lit by recessed lights that pooled in the corners like liquid gold.
Bed. Space. Closet.
Bigger than my old apartment. Better. And smelling faintly of her autumn perfume.
What just happened?
I stared at the empty boxes.
The last few hours felt unreal. I had gone from a boardroom coup to a marital cohabitation in a single afternoon.
I had kissed her in front of a parasite, straddled her in her own penthouse, and somehow changed the trajectory of my entire life in the name of a healthy relationship.
"Is this really necessary?" Alina's voice drifted from the doorway, faintly strained but still wrapped in that familiar teasing lilt.
