Truly Let Down Her Guard

Chris strode through the hotel on his way up to see Lara. He did not want her to stumble across them inadvertently, possibly creating an awkward situation. It was his intention to be present the first time they encountered each other, so that a potentially tricky moment would be under his control.

He walked through their suite quietly, in case Helen was asleep, and found Lara standing on the balcony looking down at the terrace below. Something about her body language pricked his attention immediately. Her shoulders were drawn in and she was shaking.

Suddenly he realized she was weeping.

“Lara?” He spoke her name quietly, but she spun round at once, her face an open book of remorse.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Oh, Chris—I’m sorry for what I did that night.”

The pure emotion in her voice cut into him disconcertingly—but he told himself it didn’t matter what she said, how she tried to def