Chapter 51

• I couldn’t recall how I got to work. My thoughts consumed me so entirely that I might have ignored Elio during the drive to the bank's headquarters. Reality only snapped back into focus when I stepped out of the car and felt the cool wind sting my face and neck, bare without a scarf. The sharpness of it reminded me of Hadrian’s cold lips brushing my skin, and a ridiculous smile tugged at my mouth. Thankfully, I caught sight of my foolish expression in the reflective glass of the building’s entrance before anyone else noticed. Mortified, I slapped my cheeks with both hands in a self-imposed punishment.
• Inside the elevator, I shared the space with other employees, mentally outlining my to-do list while staring blankly at the door. I kept to myself, but they didn’t. Their gazes bore into me from every direction, the weight of their disdain palpable. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if an internal memo had gone out offering a reward for delivering me, dead or alive. I sighed, willing myself to remain unaffected.
• "Ignore them, ignore them, ignore them..." I repeated silently.