Grace

I breathed in and out, trying to steady myself, but my chest still felt tight. There, it was out. I had actually said it. The words hung between us, and for a second, I half expected him to say something cruel and mocking, but he didn’t. Apollo simply studied me for a moment, his expression unreadable, before his voice came low.

“I see.”

I stared at him. “I see?”

He pushed away from the table, rising to his full height, and the room seemed to shrink around me.

“I already knew it was a mistake,” he said. “You made it obvious by running away from me every chance you...