We were never truly married.

Lara could feel the heat of his breath on her face, each word like a dagger to her heart. She reached up to touch his cheek, but he flinched away, his eyes narrowing in distrust.

The pain in Bruno's heart increased with each word he uttered. "Do you have any idea what I went through? Every single day without you was torture. I kept asking myself what I did wrong, why I wasn't enough for you. And now you expect me to just understand you?"

"I know I hurt you," Lara said.

"No, you don't know anything," he snapped, interrupting her. "I'm trying, Lara," he rasped, his voice raw with emotion. "Trying to understand what happened, where I went wrong. What mistake I made that pushed you away."

His grip on her shoulders tightened, mirroring the growing intensity of his gaze. "Was I not good enough? Was my love not enough for you?"