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Slowly Ian turned to look at Selena She stood beside hih to kiss, and yet there was a stiffness to her that kept him away

"I knew you would do the right thing," she said softly, giving him a sad smile "I know you did"

The stiff, aordsto each other right now He gazed down at her

She broke eye contact and looked down at her husband

Ian forced hioddess? He wanted desperately to ask

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the question, but he didn't dare He didn't think he could bear her answer

Finally she turned, looked up at Ian for a long, long time

And the silence broke his heart

Chapter Twenty-seven

Selena stood in the corner of the bedroo Ian battle to save Elliot's life Sounds reverberated through the air-the ping of steel instru the usts of Ian's breathing, the harsh timbre of his voice as he snarled orders to Andrew

The tension was so thick, it was palpable

Over and over again, heralways back to the first time she'd looked at Ian, the first ti she had inside, strength she hadn't even known she'd developed, to remain silent

The iion of her heart Oh, Lord, what she had asked of him, both in words and in silence Save hiain

It still hurt, hours after she'd done it She wanted to go to Ian now, slip her arms around his waist and bury her face in the soft lawn of his shirt, to breathe in the familiar scent of hiers But she was afraid, so afraid, that if she touched him-just once-she'd fall apart And this time there would be no recovery, no strand of hope that would sustain them both This time she knew the life that honor required of her, and it was only half a life She wasn't sure she could do it again, wasn't sure