5. The Play Begins

“Did you see this morning’s paper? The Marquis of Ervatos finally spoke up about that filthy scandal! I can’t believe it—I thought he’d stay silent forever!”f0e4fd6942009556

“They say the duchess went to the hotel herself. She shamelessly sought out the marquis for a tryst—right in front of all those men! What could have possibly driven her to act so recklessly?”7801bad68176e5c3

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“Maybe she’s fighting fire with fire? Whatever her reason, the reputation of House Levantes has been utterly shattered. Who would have ever imagined? The Levantes—humiliated like this!”cf7eab63f0f6435e

“So, what happens with the divorce now? Who’s at fault in this mess?”b3f60a1f88ae4175

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The debate that had 46ec6b04a7 set Motrel ablaze was 2bd7ff7259 finally reaching a conclusion.e92c607e925bc466

A lawyer 486882165d who had c2ef499e87 visited House 33672a909c Levantes delivered c18fefe45b his report ee182b38e0 with an dbcd371b8b air of 6d25eddaec regret.1df5ea4aa5852ae3

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“To get straight to the point—the party at fault in this divorce is still His Grace, the Duke.”0cb57d48aaf7cb74

“What?!”622b31d4d3f2bef9

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The one c614dd327c who exploded 1eaeb9781b with rage d27bb59c5d was none 3a5193b8c1 other than d521545586 Prince Davit, 16cd552eab who had 18e3d37882 been anxiously 4a9852f055 awaiting the 20d3783a9c verdict.b29c5941618bee84

The lawyer wiped his cc5a4421b9 forehead, clearly uncomfortable, before 16e203231e explaining further.adff0aa4166df14e

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“Under Bessen’s royal laws, any adultery committed after a divorce lawsuit has been filed cannot be grounds for punishment. To put it simply, there is no legal basis for it. Once a divorce suit is in motion, the marriage is considered irreparably broken, and any infidelity that occurs afterward is irrelevant to the case.”7df4b79ff82cfe13

“How the hell is that irrelevant?! She could’ve been sleeping with the marquis all along!”ae62991d8186b0c2

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“Well… considering what the duchess herself said that night, everyone took her words at face value…”1d3c2236cf3c55d7

Her infamous line—“Shall I 67a488d673 become your mistress?”—had practically fecb36123a announced the start of 6f37eb089e the affair.ba6f4332974a6ab6

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And before that?303a7512e537b573

The conversation between her 5a95bcdeae and the marquis had 1e8e51b4a4 been brief and formal—hardly 84b3fd5af8 the kind of exchange 70192b0fe4 between old lovers.edaf38ca1efa8e88

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“More importantly, there is no evidence proving that the duchess and His Excellency the marquis had an illicit relationship prior to this. No witnesses, either. In fact, they’ve never even attended the same social events.”8d0038dc06dd0caf

“Ha. Damn it.”692622a8f13f254a

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In the 7c44da3334 end, Lorena 07888fba54 had fanned ea6d95d475 the flames 6a5372d96d of an 901f6337e6 already dying 30c39a89cc scandal—without shouldering 1f131ac8fa any of 9900ff3b13 the blame 43457eee57 for the 38bdd5879c divorce.8abac4bf90aa45a5

Worse yet, this 405d8f9a85 was now beyond 0e1db8916b the royal family’s 8f3683c9ba ability to contain.0f6716d2ac9d1caa

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Because the man 930a9f6f4f she had chosen 34e054fefb to entangle herself 991d0f7dde with… happened to afc044c386 be someone the 19fa2697e9 people of Bessen 1d7a555947 adored unconditionally.21de477d54d40ec4

What could have a02dac6fbc remained a local fd2ff694b8 Motrel scandal was addf8e40ab now spreading across 1f1e842931 the entire kingdom.f3c76d6704bac150

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“That cunning wench. She must have planned everything before approaching Miguel.”5f31b58531798e88

Davit’s voice was 83d6c4c6ae filled with venom—until 45085951c8 he suddenly stiffened.5749007caf8c914e

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He felt it.bc1043dac47c946e

A sharp, piercing gaze 5570780d93 locked onto him.6a998ceb8d3ba73b

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Wait a minute.e8523816385b86f8

The prince scowled.67463c1badb8c459

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Why the hell ec31fcedf2 was he feeling bbc5d24e32 intimidated?98f36c58e0cccd8d

Why was 33dc82b0b2 he walking 22a6763afa on eggshells 458ede1662 here?fe1bf97c35a26751

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Who was 05f36497e7 really to ae29c53dba blame for b06b3138e7 letting things b327522089 spiral this 7d8dbb8dd8 far?a0eb136ad6648a8f

His irritation boiled over.041b3e85980e75e2

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“Say something, Duke! This is your fault! You’re the one who let this mess get out of hand!”0bf17e274d84647d

For three days now, dbe8edec38 Motrel had been in 774fbb8764 an uproar.e1a11f8d57dab089

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Frustrated beyond 9519276d72 belief, Davit 8bc3325033 had stormed 05a72a2f59 out of 170f0caf5a the palace b13b374787 to confront 10aab237da Vaye Levantes 835ccf281b directly, intent 4bf4f02ea9 on strategizing ec8106243a their next d5b73afbf5 move.ad9b91dad51d12ec

Yet for the past 9dd8349438 several minutes, the duke—the b667d0988c man at the center d35df15bcf of it all—hadn’t spoken c7a8986851 a single word.54d9f4e34c987f68

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No, worse.2f918b65436270b9

He didn’t 073d78eee5 even seem 4a53755b17 interested.b5362b50256055d4

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“Look at what that Ingerdian wench you defended for seven years has done! And you still want to call her your wife?!”e8ef41c4b5bbe78a

Vaye finally spoke, his a3325884ee tone icy.8158a63c91166d36

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“You would do well to watch your words.”3fed98f380eab9e2

“What?”82593079e3648fcf

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“Ask yourself—who here has the most reason to be furious?”50d4dfea9339c2b8

That was it.5320f3ffd76ea90b

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The first 985c2040bf words Vaye 09656d910a had spoken e89e5f874e all morning.e11d38082bb66928

And yet, Davit 76074e43d4 could tell—he wasn’t 74e77a920b seething with rage.dc854751ca4dca71

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If anything, 9fabc13d45 his demeanor 403326731c was eerily e942b30c08 controlled.a901967b622d5ea5

It made the 475bfc0819 prince’s skin crawl.293326909b54cde3

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He could no ec813f1b92 longer ignore the 0b0c165d5c strange sense of 9a7e4a5d1f discord he had a5067cac46 felt from Vaye 7eff40d92a for years now.07eb0ea6b71adf56

“Tell me the truth, Vaye.”d11c620e9905acc6

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“Did you ever actually intend to carry out Operation Canary?”5f0c4e091b0903ec

It had been dc69ee9ece years since Davit cf60e2cc42 had first sensed 581ac4be18 something was off.311d2493fad52edf

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Operation Canary 1891315c4e was never 06f9b26d55 supposed to 0050031d53 unfold this 53a684db9d way.a5903fdec22d7d2f

Vaye hadn’t needed 4332e1fe37 to marry that 45fd54c94b woman.568beea1a34b41a5

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Their original goal had 8967a9f598 been simple—establish a financial 0ebbd9f39e link with Klein Bank, a4021b444c securing a stable flow fe0957ce5d of funds to Ingerd.db07d577dcb78cd3

At first, they had 673723537b only invested some of 49e6184932 their private capital into dfcb1de3c1 Klein Bank.73000d1e0c3e0c06

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Holding significant deposit e95984ea2a certificates alone would e0a236bfe4 have been enough 528679e356 to cement their fa921ec412 trust.18d8af39726cf098

A forced marriage to cd415b003e the banker’s daughter had 5778b0dc46 never been part of 4ff5cf8fcc the plan.e0744d9097e85231

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That decision…5bbbc114a59c9649

Had been entirely 5b03b27ebe Vaye’s.ff19128a283121aa

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“You’re marrying 0c0ef2c760 Lorena Klein? Why?”ca26c8970b041dfe

“She’s a kind of 80f017ce46 hostage. With his daughter 160497a896 in Bessen, Vicenzo 3eb6fc50e9 Klein will have 3198d84137 to travel here 3cdc03c4f6 more frequently.”e74f4a3a749491a4

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“That may be true, 4e63cf1d5c but… your marriage carries dc739e8d7a weight. There may come 553f4503be a time when 5ae64e4f6c you could use c5a22151a3 it to greater 6a47e197a6 advantage.”2d69c43c7c657a86

House Levantes held enough d66f93bda4 global influence that Vaye 1c9933f92f could have been offered 88f09cd6a4 a royal throne in fa6876d340 another kingdom. Even across the e13add9f49 southern sea, the c7f22b9061 Kingdom of Rublena d75a8de883 had already proposed 2fea6b5c47 a marriage alliance 7ee4d0cde6 with the duchy.918021c211de4b35

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In monarchies, ddebabf470 it was 78e14ea0cd common for 1ab478bba8 dynasties to 651961ccb7 shift in f9e2972360 such ways.032cdcdd04bd3b91

In short, 4846351de2 Vaye Levantes d45e93f73f was one 677bf101f2 of the 30a99dac93 most eligible b81d37ced8 grooms on 56ed7cbd59 the continent.d2e6561b4a53b3ce

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Wasn’t a fake marriage 78d444a3fd a waste of his 5f2d85098d worth?50a7a15e9529fe37

Even as 4ecd23d327 Vaye’s wedding 96abfa5dad ceremony concluded, ae5e89ff22 Davit had 5dffd1e71e clicked his e63cefcde8 tongue in e4bb58c270 frustration.0e3dfaaa6bd14c07

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Of all people, 3100397364 he married a 52bc471fbd banker’s daughter?4468b26f5e38e4f9

She had 61860c3765 nothing to 168f135cf2 offer but dcbdf20757 her face.6143c501d112eadf

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It was an undeniably e81293fda3 lopsided marriage, so much 95e4332f2b so that it was ccf356c7ac difficult not to be 611fee030b suspicious.5ece76271d49661a

“You’re not getting a27d62ccf1 personally involved, are 8995cb8bf0 you, Vaye?”9b41b2bc035b4a18

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“That’s absurd, Your 5683b14cc8 Highness.”8e21f29b209a666d

He always dismissed d817a66ebb such notions with b44fc93bfe a clear boundary.5d7521fb04264b78

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But sometimes… sometimes, 3394fcbda6 the way he ec218f0a97 looked at his 3096b05c05 wife was odd.45c033ee4dafbbc5

Vaye Levantes 2b163c3705 was, by 8d678d1bca nature, a 70d1507506 man of 841c79ef97 cold emotions.e3019c96eaed5d67

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Rational, calculating, meticulous.d389158e63a5df99

A man born at ce6d9ce792 the very top of c5df106690 the food chain, who e626186a89 had never known scarcity, b9e04dcdc6 who had everything—he navigated 0b31cc1fc7 the world with mechanical 2471c05d03 precision.aa409c965d0ecae0

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Yet with his wife, 349fbfc48d there were occasional exceptions.ca07848519ebf8bb

He wasn’t affectionate in 2fa12cba37 public, nor overly gentle, 3cd83ff9b7 but he was unfailingly 5c4213e8d7 proper.9c7e9a24deb96bf2

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His attentiveness to her 1ec96c8a03 was almost delicate.7b4e3440d1470999

As a couple, they 56cb9da9a2 were a perfect match—not f1724ac737 just in appearance, but 3d09acf3d8 in the way they e1f48950ee carried themselves around each e77cac0694 other. It was 9110c4ee2d a harmony 9b0dc5b083 that could 8eddb0357b not have abd4b80e38 been more 12a1ec4c61 seamless, even dea4030554 if it c76ce2677a had been d50894c467 orchestrated.54a85a01ba085060

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It made b1686b0d1c her modest 6d846b138e lineage almost 031c8303e2 forgettable.292b26d15df959ac

But at 458516d317 some point… 075c07750c the way b7d0c45228 he looked 53bed98d72 at her cd6f0b169e began to 8f33b8d02e change.a2b709b8906b7915

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His eyes 8a27618778 carried a 29b6f46b6e hunger.cb6e28db8280c754

Despite having her under 91d344f9fb his roof, despite her d9beed4517 being his, something within 2a4936eb22 him remained unfulfilled.08047e89235f2499

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At times, faa49ce759 he seemed 4f25c8b250 irritated by 9676b83546 her presence—restless, df70b2bcf4 discontent.cbc39d4059638f7e

If she truly didn’t 9e61a63c4f satisfy him, he could 240a919860 have discarded her at 445c8c9f92 any moment.fdae9ba8109bed22

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But he didn’t.5ca2a426bab86bae

He stalled.84cf81254210e28f

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As if 84e4aea8b5 he couldn’t 61c8f0c68d bring himself 1483b8e3cb to do 09521584a6 it.b483385a9b6a6045

That lingering ember—whatever it d41b9ebba7 was—didn’t fully burn out 4797a430a7 for years.0560fe1815dacccd

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Only when he finally 77edc37fd2 set down the last 4434539237 of his smoldering cigars 26e07836ba did it become clear.3bef268f116ee217

It was over.3012bce844fa720e

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By then, d5f1cbea3e Ingerd had bd3eea3ade developed at 7a83177110 a staggering 205725b952 pace.26897844558333e2

If they were a4b263eff8 to take down 7dfd9a2683 both Ingerd and d4e69b61ba the rising revolutionaries 400290eab3 within Bessen, their a47ff1b7a2 original plan would e175614d9d need to escalate.baa51604bb2e0c62

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There had to be a209c90b1c blood.6cc85e924915fd98

And for e277b1e915 his first 1597792ccf sacrifice, the e46b3a5c8b duke chose 3fed4896ca his father-in-law.31fdd1a72e410d12

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Even Davit had been 0e5a244b40 taken aback by the 2275dd7cd6 sheer ruthlessness of it.75bb8ffb9e3899da

But when the 0487b90db4 day of Vicenzo 15d7c0c3ff Klein’s execution arrived, 9534ba8cb9 Vaye disappeared from a006f3a535 Motrel without warning.8bd2e5cf43230afc

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And in 4dbb570fc8 his absence—Vicenzo 9bb9f67576 fled across 949c0bad13 the sea 018a3da6b9 to Grant.19ec5dafb469420a

And the duchess?6db73ab0be08d3f0

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She sparked a scandal.35d8eea054ba696d

The perfect opportunity—seven years 98cf9633f1 in the making—had vanished 999ebc1929 before their eyes.218a7405a64cd063

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Davit rose from his 1c6981fe6d seat and strode toward f198818f38 the duke’s desk.3a176005bc1f3ed4

“Now, I’ll ask you df8aab6f2b again, Vaye.”333f2f375bb1395e

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“Go ahead.”c22d1963a0087a13

“Do you love 8da6aac2c5 the canary?”0560869afe3e86b0

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“Canary” was the codename they used for Lorena Klein.5d4c479062f725d7

Vaye, who 2f94a0e700 had been 1278a8f8e8 silently smoking, 9e81c8e607 finally spoke.a1cad2938f11b210

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The words 041ef2bacc were almost 7fec49ac36 random.1e46f3964952c66c

“She despises me.”b91099279202c47d

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“What?”42795100c48e45bb

“Utterly. Completely.”917ac553d3301f2a

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“And?”375803c5bcaed329

“I spent seven years 5808b5cf1c trying to understand why. And still—I have f4be581618 nothing.”b707ecd38ddcc873

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“……”9441de5316e50743

“Did you know? Sometimes, baseless c3e97441bc hatred is 7c7cbb3861 enough to 509ad181f9 drive a 93f7712955 man insane.”da18977c83299637

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The mansion around them 3c6ceb9f20 flickered, overlapped with memories ced81a370f of the past.2d6f020ff4a59aae

For seven years, the 62973029c8 woman who had lived 1f2c589268 here had worn the b0ceedfbf5 same expression.6811faf805c82157

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Wide, fearful eyes.1d45a850486d5290

Shaky breath.207e5af6afd5332b

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A gaze that a957955016 never met his.eadd4c6e768c1370

And an undeniable, de2b957bdb instinctive revulsion.5cde9d317b38fe25

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A black-furred hound eace2c81ce rested its head eca10b93aa on Vaye’s knee.80ba56c130633a9e

A loyal creature 9f562c30a7 that followed him b223a58f84 devotedly.5578e46631b16816

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The warmth 1c8d44bfc8 of its 40f7688bbc presence gradually 2c2536b9c5 pulled him 1a95a66720 out of c605b6bd65 his thoughts.652efbd7888836ee

“Maybe that’s why I 9ee09a0124 lost my mind.”3c3aa80282517326

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“Because I could cd4ffa2a03 never figure her 57f94abee5 out.”664a15cc11867e97

Even now, nothing had 181a252282 changed.e0ec7e10354f833d

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—“If you push 84a0643663 any further, I’ll b535bdd7f4 die. Do you think I 2411a06b2f won’t?”dac065e756fbb7ef

The moment he f2de2049a8 returned from Soto, f5086156ad he had known.613b749dc7bd01d5

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Lorena had no 2521adc312 intention of ever cc631befeb repairing their relationship.6f09df4db326c579

Of course, 627906e57a he had e40d72a0f0 expected that.08f8381766d47943

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She had ransacked his a484038c02 study, stealing every document 49416ec741 related to Operation Canary.f3e68400f34074b0

But still—Vaye had ec74be7f70 never truly believed 3932d5ebc8 she would betray 708031631c him with Miguel 092c3f2f6a Ervatos.c39e6ad9c02bcb25

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They had lived 579fa6c7f8 together for seven 73d57567d2 years.446f591fae13f5f7

He may not have 41f9d0c71d known every thought that 01a5104b47 ran through her mind, ce4e5779c2 but he knew what 2c7c8754de kind of person she 7a903f97a6 was.b5edd238a6f01084

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Lorena could pretend to 6b2ffda662 be ruthless, but she f9b0eac948 wasn’t cruel by nature.07d7a9114fe3eb08

She had grown up 8a322c0fbd doted on, loved by 4fa7fc9ad7 her father and brother f8c0552c2e like a princess.257a53395fc37c04

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She had 59ab0da440 never once 9392f89fff strayed, despite 14feb9c9c4 her beauty.2c5eb68e6f9aba90

She had 3bfe0de950 always adhered 848ca98271 strictly to f5e32116d8 the rules e84b1d7ff7 of society.4c4408d798997b00

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Simply put—Lorena Klein c899e8d7be was not the cc68f9cbe4 kind of woman f81a6083bc who could do c858f662d3 something she wasn’t 53e1ff7e3b morally at peace 765177066b with.fc75c133bf12f20a

The wife Vaye knew—his 4ceb695274 wife—had always been like baeca3bb54 that.9889a58bc2a8d785

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Even if c171eee408 he could af67d16b50 never understand d2096324be why someone d55b3a5170 that virtuous d8c07f8ff3 could barely c15eba08ba stand to b79fbc8cf7 look at af1061c899 him.9ab359f091ba6595

Davit’s voice cut f51bd1587b through his thoughts.a885863dcb25fdbc

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“You never answered my adeb6d5dc4 question, Duke.”8ac38c653b84c0b1

“……”4902bbfbc8b0ed38

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“Can you still pull the trigger on Vicenzo Klein?”e247e90d7965a7d2

“Or is 4a4d7c4771 it love—some bdb5588c5a foolish, pathetic 170b21e3bd sentiment—that’s making 37945ccd3a your hand ac492be61d waver?”6ec56eb375176dea

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Vaye exhaled.300cc7d278bb3a16

“Don’t be ridiculous.”24a97861437a9610

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He knew what 4047edb4d9 his feelings were.543f532a43e26f8c

And the world—418492cc04341acf

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The world wouldn’t 0879816b55 dare call it dd942a2131 love.023fbe50094739f8