"This was a mistake," Dante finally said.
The words hung in the air like shattered glass, cutting deep into Elena's already wounded heart. She felt herself go cold, numbness spreading through her limbs as the afterglow of their passionate encounter abruptly vanished.
"A mistake," she repeated, her voice hollow. She pulled the sheet around her naked body, suddenly aware of her vulnerability. "Just like that?"
Dante rose from the bed, his muscled back turned to her as he reached for his discarded pants. The scars crisscrossing his skin told stories of violence she couldn't begin to imagine. He was a stranger now, this man who had once been her entire world.
"What did you expect?" he asked, his voice devoid of emotion as he dressed. "That one f**k would erase twelve years? That it would m
