ARIEL'S POV

I paused, but didn’t turn immediately to face him. He came to stand in front of me.

I moved two steps back, maintaining the distance. Not because I was still afraid of him, but because his presence still affected me in ways too much to bear. It made my heart beat too fast, made me feel fluttery sensations beneath my skin. Things I had no right to feel, things that should already be buried.

He belonged to someone else—someone who could walk in any moment, I reminded myself.

His face fell at my retreat, clearly hurt. But he stepped closer anyway, and I kept backing away until I...