CHAPTER 25
MONDAY MORNING ARRIVED, and it was a relief when Luke went back to work. Breakfast had been an awkward affair, a mix of politeness and avoidance. Hardly surprising after his confession the night before—he’d told me he loved me, and I didn’t say it back. Normally, lies came easily, but the words stuck in my throat. I’d never told anyone I loved them. How could I start now, in a relationship built on a foundation of half-truths and hope?
I’d kissed him instead, but it was no consolation. When I’d pulled back, his eyes filled with hurt and disappointment, and as he walked away, the pit of dread in my stomach grew ever deeper. How could I repair things? I’d never had this problem in my deep and meaningful relationship with my Walther P88.
We’d reached mid-February now, and each d
