Chapter 8: Ayla's POV
I lie in his bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying the disastrous moment over and over again.
My sleep eludes me.
He was inside me, I felt him inside me.
Felt his heat. His need. His desperation.
And then he froze.
The way his body went rigid, the way his eyes went distant.
The way he looked at me like I was seeing a ghost.
Elena.
He must have seen face, in my eyes.
And it broke him.
I should be angry. I should feel rejected.
But I don't.
I feel sad for him, for the pain he's been carrying for five years.
I feel determined to show him that he's not broken.
I press my face into his pillow and breathe deep.
It smells like him.
He's out on the balcony, I can see him through the glass doors.
His silhouette against the city lights, his head in his h
