82 - Elena

"But you have," I snapped, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "You have, and I'm terrified you'll do it again. I barely survived it the first time, but it'll destroy me this time around, Richard. I can't do this again."

He cupped my face with both hands and frowned. "What are you talking about?"

“Grandmother Willow's 80th birthday bash,” I whispered. "I.. I came to your room at night. We'd both been drinking too much. but it didn't matter. The drinks were exactly what I needed to gather my courage. At that point, we'd been informally engaged. Your grandmother and my parents had both agreed on it, but you and I hadn't discussed it. We'd both just kind of been dancing around the subject, and you'd been treating me the same way you treated Talia, the way you'd always treated me, with playful kindness, and nothing more. I... I came to your room that night to ask what you thought of me and our engagement."

He stared at me wide-eyed. “What?”

I drew in a shaky breath and forced myself to fac