"How could I have been so blind?" Gabriel muttered, running a hand through his already disheveled hair as he paced back and forth in his office. His voice was low, a mixture of anger and disbelief, but mostly, I could hear the hurt beneath it.
I stood by the door, unsure of how to offer comfort. I had never seen him like this before—so raw, vulnerable. The man who controlled everything with ice-cold precision was now unraveling. His empire, his trust, it was all slipping through his fingers, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
"I should’ve known." His words were sharper now, the self-blame thick in his tone.
I stepped forward, gently placing my hand on his arm. "Gabriel, you didn’t know. You can’t blame yourself for what someone else did."
He stopped, his eyes meeting mine wi
