Chapter 121 5The Next Day

• Isla barely remembered the walk back to her apartment.
• The night air had felt too cold against her skin in contrast to the heat she felt while with Lucien. Her legs were still unsteady. Every few steps she caught the faint sweetness of vanilla still clinging to her and the deeper, unmistakable scent of what they had done on that table. By the time she unlocked her door and stepped inside, her hands were trembling slightly.
• She dropped her bag on the floor, kicked off her shoes, and went straight to the bathroom. The mirror showed a woman who looked thoroughly used, lips slightly swollen, a faint mark on the side of her neck, hair no longer neat. She turned on the shower and stood under the hot water for a long time, watching the last traces of ice cream and everything else wash down the drain.