Liora’s POV
I told myself I was doing the right thing.
That thought became my quiet mantra in the days that followed the charity gala. I repeated it every morning while getting dressed, every time I stepped into the office, every time I deliberately chose a longer route down the hallway just to avoid crossing paths with Ezra.
I was doing the right thing.
Because the truth was more complicated than simple guilt. I had not betrayed him. I had not agreed to Alice’s request. But I had frozen when it mattered. I had let confusion and embarrassment take control, and in my panic, I had almost put Ezra in an impossible position.
Worse, for a brief, reckless moment, I had let my fear speak before my honesty.
Ezra had seen through it immediately. He always did.
He had handled the situation wi
