The admission hung between us like a confession. This man this powerful, ruthless CEO who controlled billions and terrified corporate rivals had spent twenty-two years building walls around a heart that broke when he was just a child.
And I was cracking those walls whether either of us liked it or not.
"That's not living," I whispered.
"Neither is this." Leon closed the remaining distance between us, his hands coming up to frame my face with surprising gentleness. "You're falling apart, Amara. I can see it."
"Good. Maybe I should fall apart. Maybe that's the normal response to finding out your entire life has been a lie."
"Nothing about our lives has ever been normal." His thumbs brushed across my cheekbones, catching tears I hadn't realized were falling. "But I me
