~Isabella’s POV

I placed a hand gently on Lucian’s cheek, tilting his face so he had to look at me. “Lucian, I am so sorry for everything you’ve been through, and even more for making you think that I’d leave you. You don’t have to protect me from yourself. I… I want all of you. The good, the bad, the broken.” My fingers grazed his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin under my touch. “I just wish you would have let me in sooner. I don’t know how I missed it… this feeling…”

He closed his eyes at my touch, leaning into it, a softness melting into his usually...