Chapter 78

• His eyes met hers as she asked the question and his stomach sank. He couldn't possibly tell her the truth and the lie would hurt her more.
• “Yes,” Viktor said simply, and as he saw her face crumple, he knew it was true. He regretted that for the rest of his life, he’d be haunted by the memory of a perfect woman he could never deserve. A womaan he could never have again. A woman who would despise him forever the instant she heard he’d blackmailed her sister.
• “Oh.” It was the kind of gasp a person makes when they’d just been punched in the gut. She blinked fast, fighting back tears. He wanted to comfort her. Instead, he said, “I’ll be back after midnight. Don’t wait up. Keep yourself busy around the house.”