Malena 's POV

The moon was tall within the night sky, its pale light casting unusual shadows over the clearing. The fragrance of pine and soil drifted through the discussion, blending with the squeaking pressure around me. I stood before Caprio, flooding with feeling, prepared to confront the man who had broken my belief.

“Caprio,” I called his title like a severe revile, my voice shaking with anger and pain. "How may you are doing that to me?"

He looked at me with eyes that had no regret, no follow of the cherish that had once bloomed between us. "Male, it's not what you think it is."

My clench hands...