VERA'S POV

"I love you, Jack," I confessed, the words slipping out like a breath I’d been holding for years. 

My heart felt weightless. For the first time in a long while, I wasn’t hiding anymore. I had told him everything.

Jack didn’t flinch. He took my hand gently and pressed a kiss to my knuckles. “I want you to understand something,” he said softly, his voice rich with emotion. “Your past doesn’t get to dictate your present. You’re not bound by it anymore. Let it go, Vera. Don’t let it ruin your future. What happened to you… it doesn’t change who you are to me. And I swear, I’ll...