Chapter 85

• Nick POV.
• As I uttered the words that would forever change the dynamic between Lallaine and me, I could hear my own voice breaking, the emotional turmoil on the inside seeping its way out. I tried to rein it back in, but when I looked down at her, her gown still shoved up around her waist and her fragile body lying on the hard stairs—how could I have done that to her? I had vowed to never treat her that way again, but I guess my word didn't mean anything, not even to myself.
• I ran my hands over my face with a frustrated growl. Not telling Lalaine about everything that I knew was exactly what had forced her hand and led us to that moment. And I couldn't hold it in any longer. I had to get it out. I had to purge the secret, because if I didn't, I was going to cross that thin line between guilt and insanity, and things between us would only get worse.