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“I’m so sorry.” Her voice is soft, her eyes glossing over. “I can’t even imagine being forced to marry a man like that.”

I bite my bottom lip and nod as I try to distract myself from the lump forming in my throat. “I don’t mean to pry,” I hesitantly say, “but last night, Alex gave me the contact information for your therapist.” I pause before saying, “I was…upset because he told me she specializes in helping survivors of sexual assault, and…” My chest tightens. “I think I’ve spent the last three years pretending that’s not what happened to me.” My eyes blur, coldness wrapping its clutches around me. “I guess I’ve been living in denial.” I blink, trying and failing to keep the tears held back. “I was just wondering if talking to someone… Well, did it help you?”

She nods slowly. “It helped me more than I thought it would.” She sighs, leaning against the wall as her fingers spin her wedding band. “Did you know I was kidnapped last year?”

“I had heard whispers of it,” I admit.

Her gaze drifts up to the ceiling. “It was six weeks of pure torture by a man who was obsessed with me.” She takes a breath. “There were days I convinced myself no one was coming. That everyone had forgotten me. But I was wrong.” She looks down at her ring, rubbing her thumb over the diamonds. “Leo never stopped looking for me. Not for a second.” Her eyes shimmer with unshed tears. “I think he was ready to burn the damn world down for me.” She lets out a soft laugh.

I can’t help but smile. “It sounds like he really loves you.”

“He does.” Her answer comes swiftly, with not an ounce of hesitation. “And I love him more than I ever thought it was possible to love another person. But love didn’t magically fix everything.” She looks out across the flower shop. “When Leo rescued me, I was safe…but I wasn’t okay.” Her words sound eerily familiar to how I’ve been feeling recently. “There was so much fear. Guilt. Anger. Nightmares.” She exhales slowly. “Some days there still are.” She turns to me. “Healing isn’t something that happens overnight. It’s something you have to choose every single day.” Her lips curve slightly. “I still have hard days. I probably always will.” She shrugs lightly. “But they’re not as dark as they used to be.”

I nod, quietly wiping my fingers beneath my eyes as a heavy emotion washes over me, filling my eyes with tears.

She reaches for my free hand and lightly squeezes it. “Being a survivor doesn’t mean you’re weak, and it certainly doesn’t mean you failed. You’re here today because you fought like hell and made it through the worst of the storm.” I roll in my bottom lip. “You made it to Alex, and that man won’t let anything ever happen to you again.”

“I’m getting that feeling,” I confess softly, warmth spreading across my chest. I’ve only known him for days, but somehow I’ve come to trust him more than anyone I’ve met in my entire life.

She drops my hand and pulls back, studying me. “You’re good for him.”

I arch a brow. “I am?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “He’s been having a hard time lately. Became a single dad overnight and then…” She hesitates, eyeing me.

“And then?”

She looks around as if making sure no one else can hear, and then her gaze stops on me. “Did you know Alastor Manacorda?”

I nod. “I met him at one of Garrett’s banquets. I think they did business together.”

She rolls in her bottom lip. “Madeleine was engaged to him.”

My eyes widen, and she waves a dismissive hand. “He was blackmailing her, and it turns out his sister, Cressida, had a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Eli. So one night, she kidnapped Madeleine and, well…” She shrugs. “Things got out of hand. She tried to kill Madeleine, but Alex shot her, killing her and saving his sister’s life.”

“Oh my God,” I breathe, too stunned to say more than that.

“Yeah.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s no secret how the Alaries take care of their enemies. But Cressida was a woman, which they don’t touch, and, unknowingly to us, she was suffering from mental health issues. So Alex has taken the whole thing especially hard.” Her gaze drifts toward the floor. “He won’t talk about it with anyone. I’ve asked Leo to try to get through to him, but he…shuts down every time.” She shakes her head, sadness softening her features. “It’s obvious he blames himself. And he shouldn’t.” Her eyes meet mine. “If Alex hadn’t done what he did that night…” She gives me a small, heartfelt smile. “Then his sister and one of my best friends wouldn’t be alive.”

For a moment, neither of us speaks.

I know how the Alaries rule their kingdom.

With a bullet to the head or a knife to the heart.

But this was different.

And I can only imagine how it might be affecting Alex.

“How are you finding everything?” Cora asks as she strides up the row.

Scarlett stands, smoothing her hand down the front of her pants. “Everything is so beautiful. It’s hard to choose.” She looks down at me. “But I think my friend just created the arrangement I’ve been looking for.”

My friend. My eyes water for an entirely different reason.

She reaches for the bouquet resting on the counter and cradles it carefully in her hands.

Cora grins. “That is an excellent choice.” She gestures toward the back of the shop. “Come with me, and I’ll show you the different centerpiece options, ceremony arrangements, and floral installations we can create with that selection.”