“You invited it first,” she replied.
The music swelled. He spun her, clean and controlled, then drew her back in, her breath catching as she settled against him again.
They looked like perfection.
Inside, everything frayed.
Eleanor’s voice dropped further, steady but charged. “I have followed every rule you set.”
James swallowed. “This is not the time.”
“It is the only time you cannot leave,” she said.
He guided her through another step, his voice low. “You agreed to those rules.”
“Yes,” she replied. “Because I believed they had purpose.”
“They do.”
“Then explain them,” Eleanor said. “Because I have never asked where you go. I have never questioned why you vanish. I have never demanded your time.” Her fingers curled slightly against his shoulder. “I honestly just assume you have a mistress.”
The words landed like a blow.
James’s anger evaporated instantly, replaced by shock so complete he nearly missed the next step.
“What?” he said.
She went on, voice tight but controlled. “You disappear. You set boundaries like walls. You dictate where I may stand and when. And you expect me to believe there is no other woman.”
James spun her abruptly, the movement sharp enough to draw a faint gasp from her lips. He caught her again without breaking rhythm and dipped her just enough that her throat arched back.
To the room, it looked dramatic. Devastatingly romantic.
His mouth brushed her collarbone, a brief, reverent touch. Nothing improper. Everything intimate.
“There is no other woman,” he said against her skin.
Her breath hitched.
He drew her upright, his hand firm at her waist. “There has been no one else since the day we married.”
Her eyes searched his face. “You swear it?”
“I do.”
The words were immediate.
Her expression softened, guilt flickering across it. “I am sorry,” she said. “I said it to hurt you.”
“You succeeded,” James replied quietly.
She nodded. “I know. I just cannot do this anymore.”
His chest tightened. “Do what?”
“Pretend that I am content with half a marriage,” Eleanor said. “Pretend that rules feel like protection instead of distance.”
The music slowed. The final notes approached.
