Nicholas didn't say a word. Instead, he gently picked her up and carried her to the sofa. Sitting down, he pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her in a protective embrace.
“Please don’t cry,” he murmured, his voice soft but full of sincerity. “It breaks my heart to see you like this. I promise, I won’t do anything that hurts you again. I’ll behave, I swear.”
His words, spoken with such honesty, only seemed to make her cry harder. The warmth of his embrace, the depth of his care, was too much for Emily to bear in that moment. She nestled deeper into his chest, the sound of her sniffles filling the air. Nicholas sat there quietly, his arms tightening around her as if holding her close could somehow stop the pain she was feeling. Time seemed to slow, with nothing but the rhythm of her breathing and soft sniffles breaking the stillness.