~Kate~
I hadn’t realized how much I was trembling until I felt the warmth of his hand closing over mine. Cole didn’t say anything at first. He just held on, his thumb brushing over my knuckles like he was grounding me, and if he let go, I’d break into pieces. And maybe I would have.
The words I’d spilled hung between us like smoke I couldn’t wave away. My marriage. Sebastian. My sister. The baby I lost. I forced myself to meet Cole’s eyes, expecting distance, maybe even judgment. But what I saw there was something that nearly undid me all over again. Shock, yes. Pain, definitely. But there was no disgust. No rejection. Only something raw and tight, like he was carrying every ounce of what I’d just confessed on his own shoulders.
“I’m sorry,” he said finally, his voice low, almost rough.
