She went airless.
Her heart contracted into an icy knot.
“But... but... it’s my home. That is... it’s... it’s where I live.”
He settled upon her the whole of his attention then. It still required an inward adjustment whenever he did that. That first connection with his eyes had always been a bit like staring into the sun.
“The town house is mine to do with as I please.”
And then he merely waited, as a cat would wait to see what a mouse would do next.
His expression revealed to her nothing.
Panic welled in her chest, shortening her breath.
“But... the... the furnishings... the... the canopy bed...”
Why on earth would she mention the canopy bed specifically? Except that it was pretty and she loved it and she had carefully chosen it. Never once had she abused her allowance.
And she had slept alone in it for nigh on five years.
“The money used to purchase the furnishings was mine,” he explained with what felt like hateful patience. “Therefore the contents of the house also belong to me.”
She was inwardly quaking now; it was the feel, she thought, of the strands of her soul giving way, one by one.
“So I expect my clothes belong to you, too. Since your money purchased them.” Her voice was deceptively calm.
“If you like, yes.”
They stared at each other.
His face was cold, implacable as stone.
Her breath was a roar in her ears now.
She could almost hear a “plink” as the last fiber holding her being together finally snapped.
She clawed off one glove with violently shaking hands. “Take this, then.” She flung it at him. She had the satisfaction of seeing him blink. “Since it’s yours.”
She stripped off the other and whipped it at him. “Take this one, too.”
“Alexa—”
“And this.” She kicked off a slipper and punted it. It sailed toward him.
He dodged nimbly.
She kicked off the other, sending him dodging in the other direction.
Then she scrabbled at the laces on the back of her ball gown.
She roughly yanked it off over her head and whipped the dress at him.“TAKE IT!Since it is yours, too. Sincenothingis mine. Not my skin, my clothes, not my life, not the air I breathe. Nothing in this world is mine. It’s all yours. You bought it. So take it. Do what you want! Take it all. Take it,take—”
She ducked and reflexively threw her hands up over her head when he lunged toward her with shocking speed.
Suddenly all was enveloping warmth and soft darkness.
She staggered backward. Somehow the backs of her knees met the settee.