*Layla*
I stared at Dante's back in disbelief, my heart shattering into a million pieces as his words sank in.
After everything we had just shared, the passion and intimacy that had seemed to burn away all the doubts and fears between us, he was still pushing me away, still demanding that I name my price and walk out of his life forever.
I felt tears stinging my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to let him see how deeply his rejection cut me. I sat up slowly, my body still aching from the aftershocks of our lovemaking, and wrapped the silk sheet around me.
"Dante, please," I whispered, my voice raw and broken. "Don't do this. Don't throw away everything we have, everything we could be, just because you're afraid to trust me."
He turned to face me then, his eyes hard and unyielding. "Trust you?" he scoffed, his lips twisting into a bitter smile. "How can I trust a woman who lied to me from the very beginning, who infiltrated my life and my heart on the orders of my enemy?"