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Some of his hopelessness must have shown in his face, because she blurted, “I’, not with ful relationship because you think you gave up the right”

Not with me

“What about you?” He felt his blood sloith time “Because you deserve to be happy too”

“I know” She sed, blinking rapidly, head down “I’ve had a lot of time to think since I’ve been here”

Aleksy didn’t understand why her saying that staggered hiured out what kind of woman she was He’d chosen to believe her when she said otherwise, but he’d known She’d been a virgin A powerless one that he’d exploited He was utterly sincere in telling her she deserved everything that her heart desired

It would come at a terrible cost to him, but he’d pay it For once, he’d act with the sort of honor she thought he possessed

Clair held on to her co hope as Aleksy’s expression grew stonier, washing away the footings of her confidence She reacted by pulling herself inward, taking refuge behind an air of insouciance that wouldn’t betray how much this really meant to her

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t looking for a permanent relationship When I was a child, all I ever wanted was to be adopted into a family” She set down her fork and folded her hands in her lap, aware of hi so closely the air around them seemed to vibrate “As the years passed and I wasn’t chosen, I convincedI wanted I really believed it Self-preservation, I suppose” She shrugged, the movement jerky and not nearly as careless as she wanted to be

His slow blink was almost a wince

Clair could hear the voices in her head warning this gaainst her chest, only saying, “But living in this house, thinking about how your parents felt about each other and, I believe, how my parents felt, as well… It made me realize I want a different kind of family Not parents, but a husband and children”

Her claether under the table and she kept the into the backs of her hands so she wouldn’t betray how anxious she was for his too With her…