Page 109 of Bound By the Duke

But his mind was nothing but chaos. Aurelia’s face, her voice, her trembling lips when she had asked him when he would claimher. The way he had shut her down cruelly because he couldn’t bear giving her what she wanted.

Because giving her what she wanted meant surrendering. Meant breaking the chains of his past.

And he wasterrifiedof it.

Maxwell studied him. Saw the cracks. Saw the man behind the mask. He knew him too well, had known him before his first marriage, before the tragedy, before Percival had built an icy fortress around his heart.

“Aurelia is not your first wife.”

The words struck Percival like thunder.

He froze, his mask breaking. His eyes betrayed him for one brief moment. He allowed the raw pain, guilt, and longing to slip through.

His best friend saw it all. He always did.

But then, in the next breath, Percival’s face hardened again. He looked away, shutting himself off, burying his emotions deep where no one could reach them.

“Leave,” he said coldly.

Maxwell’s lips pressed into a thin line. He straightened, his green eyes narrowing as though debating whether to push him further. But in the end, he nodded.

“Fine. But think on it, Percival. Because if you don’t, one day soon, it won’t just be your wife walking away.”

With that, he turned and left, leaving behind only silence and truths that Percival refused to face.

Alone again, Percival’s hand hovered above the ledger. His carefully cultivated restraint felt as though it might shatter at any moment.

CHAPTER 34

The sun hung high over Mayfair, beating down on the rooftops and streets. But Aurelia felt none of it. The bustle of the city seemed distant.

She was walking with Nora on one side and Hyacinth on the other. Their gowns swished gracefully with every step. The other two ladies were smiling as they teased and gossiped about Nora’s suitor.

“I swear,” Hyacinth said with a grin, her eyes glinting wickedly, “if this man is even half as handsome as the whispers make him out to be, Nora will faint before she can curtsey.”

Nora gave a soft, dreamy sigh. “I won’t faint. I’ve already decided I love him. He’s the sort of man one only reads about in novels. Gentle, charming, and everything I’ve ever wanted. When I see him again…” Her cheeks flushed pink. “I justknowhe is my future.”

Hyacinth gasped dramatically. “Already in love? You, my darling, have been bewitched.”

They both laughed, but Aurelia didn’t join them. Her lips were pressed together into a tight line, her hands smoothing down her skirts as though to keep herself busy.

Why can’t I laugh with them? Why does everything hurt so much?

A pitiful, painful truth answered her questions.

She missed him. Her husband. The cold, unbending duke. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but his absence gnawed at her until every breath became a little heavier.

And yet, had he written to her? Had he sent a messenger to ask her to return to Whitmore?

No. Not a word. No sign that he missed her.

Of course, he hadn’t. He was as cold as ice. He had always been as cold as ice. And me? I was foolish enough to fall in love with him. Foolish enough to hope.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn’t notice when the laughter beside her quieted.

Nora and Hyacinth exchanged glances when they realized Aurelia had not spoken a single word in over an hour.

Finally, Nora broke the silence.