"Did you betray me?" His voice is dangerous. I could say yes, and he'd leave, dejected and betrayed. It would be for the best, but the words that leave my mouth are not that. 

"No, just a friend."

His grip eases, but a frown touches his face when he sees the red mark he left. "I'm sorry."

"Are you and Stella... um," my words trail off. My stomach feels odd just thinking of them that way.

"No, I ended my betrothal with her and severed all business ties with her family," he answers.

I let out a breath of relief I didn't know I was holding. "But I called once,...