My vision pulsed in and out–black creeping in at the edges, then receding just enough to catch Logan’s mouth moving again.
“Two hours. That’s it, okay?” he said, frantic now. “You do good for two hours and I’ll buy you whatever stupid rock you want.”
Oh.
My crystals.
I liked those.
The thought drifted through my head slowly, disconnected from the rest of me. Amethyst for stress. Rose quartz for love. Black tourmaline for protection. I wondered if my collection was still on top of Vinny’s dresser.
I wanted garnet, apparently it helped with nightmares.
My limbs felt heavy, like they were filled with wet sand.
“Violet.” Logan’s voice sharpened. “Stay focused.”
Focused on what?
Investors?
Emeralds?
Looking in love with a man I hated?
I tried to blink again, but even that felt slow. The next time my eyes opened, I was leaning into Logan as he guided me from table to table.
The room was so bright it hurt.
Crystal chandeliers threw fractured light across polished marble and glass. Laughter echoed too loudly. The scent of expensive cologne and wine mixed into something nauseating.
Vinny’s cologne didn’t smell like that.
Logan’s arm stayed locked around my waist, his hand spread possessively over my stomach.
“This is my beautiful wife, Violet,” he said to a cluster of men in tailored suits, patting my belly like I was proof. “And these are our twins.”
Polite laughter followed. Congratulations. Smiles.
I kept my eyes lowered, the way I’d been trained to.
“And how are you feeling, Mrs. Stellar?” one of them asked kindly.
“She’s deaf–” Logan blurted.
My head tilted before I could stop it.
He cleared his throat, recovering. “She, uh, lost her hearing when she was young.”
A flicker of surprise crossed a few faces.
“Oh,” the man said quickly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”
“It’s quite all right,” Logan said smoothly. “Normally she has her hearing aids in, but she’s been struggling with migraines this pregnancy.”
Migraines.
That was new.
