“We belong together, you know it,” he said, his voice raspy. “No one will ever understand you like I can. And I can give you everything you want, everything you’ve always dreamed of.” His eyes vivisected her where she stood, even as his voice was a velvety whisper, and she knew he did not lie. His sincerity made her want to weep. She cared about him, even if he was monstrous. More than once, Alba had comforted herself with the thought that they were the same, he and she. He had embodied gallantry and romance. Tarnished, lying in the muck, he still maintained a brightness to his expression, a
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