The rain had not stopped. It fell like the heavens were trying to wash the world clean but nothing could cleanse the silence that stood between them.
Isabella sat by the cracked window of the chapel, her body trembling though the air was warm.
Damian stood a few feet away, motionless.
The lantern between them flickered, painting his face in fleeting shadows half-truths and half-light.
Her voice broke the silence.
"How long?"
He looked up, eyes unreadable.
"Isabella…"
"How long, Damian?!"
The words tore out of her, raw and shaking.
He inhaled slowly, his jaw tightening. "Before I met you.
Your father had enemies everyone did.
They wanted information, leverage. I was hired to get close, nothing more."
Her heart thudded painfully. "Nothing more?"
His gaze softened, just barely. "Until you."
She shook her head, tears threatening.
"So, everything the first night, the smiles, the safety it was all part of a job?"
