Chapter 76

The next morning, Rosalie woke with a pounding headache. Harsh sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, stabbing at her eyes and making it impossible to open them. Groaning, she pushed herself up, her body aching. One hand shielded her face from the light while the other massaged her throbbing temples.

Her head felt like it had been stuffed with lead—heavy, sluggish, and painfully swollen. It took a long moment to shake off the haze and gather her thoughts. She was just about to get out of bed when a sharp, stabbing pain shot through the sole of her foot, making her freeze.

Frowning, she looked down. Her foot was wrapped in gauze, stained with dried blood. Her confusion deepened. "What the hell happened to my foot? When did I get hurt? And why don’t I remember any of it?"

Rosalie sat in a daze, trying to piece together the fragments of last night. The last thing she clearly remembered was leaving Graham Villa and getting a call from Anya, inviting her to Anya’s Lounge for a celebration. She went, Anya handed her a drink, and then her mind went blank. She had no idea what happened after that.

Her gaze dropped to the oversized shirt she was wearing. Recognizing it instantly—she'd been married to Julian for a year and knew his shirts at a glance—her expression shifted. "Why am I wearing Julian’s shirt?" she asked herself.

Her headache worsened, not just from the hangover, but from the fact that she was wearing Julian’s clothes. Her mind spun, then realization dawned. “Wait. I’m at Rosalian Manor!” she muttered.

Her eyes darted around the room, confirming what she already knew. This was their bedroom, the one she had lived in since their marriage. Though it was supposed to be their marital home, Julian had never really left his mark here; everything belonged to her.