Since the first moment Ezekiel Henley's eyes had fallen on Ruelle Belmont, he had been taken in by her. Beneath the old clothes, small house and the fear sitting in her brown eyes at the sight of the debt collectors, the misery surrounding her had only made her seem more beautiful to him.
Though he had ended up marrying the younger sister in pursuit of a position within the courthouse, he had always believed Ruelle would eventually find her way toward him on her own.
The position he had sacrificed so much for no longer felt nearly as important as the growing realisation that Ruelle was slipping further beyond his reach.
He was aware that she had spent her entire life starving for affection. The thought that she had found comfort in another man settled bitterly in his mind.
"Mr. Henley?" The man who had lent the newsletter noticed Ezekiel's hands crumple it.
