Page 58 of Beautiful Ruins
He raised a brow.
“You kidnapped me,” I reminded him.
“You trespassed,” he corrected.
“On public property?”I stared at him.
“You are unbelievable,” he mused.
“So I’ve been told.”
A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth despite myself.
The tension eased slightly.
He moved beside me, shoulders relaxing for the first time since he walked in.
“You didn’t deserve what happened to you, Izzy.”
I swallowed.
“No,” I agreed.“But I didn’t deserve a lot of things that happened.”
Silence fell again.I studied his face.
“Have you ever trusted the wrong person?”I wanted to know.
He didn’t answer.That told me enough.
“I didn’t see them,” I confessed.“The red flags.The lies.I just—” My voice faltered.“I thought if I loved him enough, he’d do better.”
His expression softened into something dark, something knowing.
“That’s not how men like him work.”
“Or men like you?”I whispered softly.
His eyes flicked to mine.
A charged beat passed.
“I’m not Nathan,” he pointed out.
“No,” I agreed.“You’re not.”
Another silence.
He let out a sharp breath, then shifted further down the bed.His shoulders slid lower against the headboard.The hand behind his head dropped.
He looked exhausted.Worn.Not just physically, but emotionally.
“You need to sleep,” I told him.
He shrugged slightly.“I have things to do.”
“You look like you lost a fight with a mirror.”
That earned the faintest smirk.
