Cold and Dead

The mansion was cold and dead.

Just like her soul.

Sad and empty.

Silver and gold lay at her expense, and multiple workers hurried to her aid as she stepped inside.

One swiftly took her Hermès Himalayan Birkin, its rare crocodile leather shimmering under the dim lights.

Another helped her out of her limited-edition Saint Laurent fur coat, crafted from the finest chinchilla, its softness unrivaled.

A third knelt to ease her feet out of her custom Christian Louboutin heels, the rarest pair with gold embellishments and diamond-encrusted spikes.

Her bare feet trailed over the plush Persian carpet, which gave way to the cold, pristine tiles.

She paused, her sharp senses picking up on the faintest shift. The room was exactly one degree warmer than it should have been.

Still, she forced a smile.

"Ashley," she called, her voice low yet commanding.

The tall blond man practically sprinted toward her, fumbling nervously with a glass bottle. "Ma'am, you're home. 100% filtered rainwater, boiled, sterilized, and chilled to your exact specifications in a customized glass. Just as you like," he rambled, his forehead glistening with sweat.

Elizabeth's piercing gaze flicked to him, and she raised an eyebrow. "The room," she said slowly, "is a degree too warm."

She pursed her lips as she strode toward the living room, finally plopping into her beloved loveseat, a piece she absolutely adored.

It spoke to her.

The loveseat, that is.

It whispered, "No one gets you like I do."

Elizabeth rested her head against its curved back. "I really don't understand," she muttered, addressing the furniture as if it were alive. "What is so hard about keeping my house temperature at exactly 72 degrees fahrenheit?"

Her laugh echoed through the room, a soft, melodic sound that made Ashley's stomach churn. He knew that laugh.

It wasn't amusement.

It was rage.

Before he could speak, she grabbed the glass water bottle from the tray and smashed it against the center table.

Shards of glass scattered like stars across the room, but she didn't stop.

"Why?" Smash.

"Is?" Smash.

"It?" Smash.

"So-" Smash.

"Hard-" Smash.

"To bloody keep my house at 72 degrees fahrenheit?" she screamed, the final blow reducing the table to nothing more than shattered wood and glass.

Ashley froze, holding his breath, praying she wouldn't look at him next.