**Nora's POV**
We were there in our bedroom, both of us crying, both of us broken, the weight of everything that had been revealed hanging heavy between us. I could see the pain in Collins' eyes, could hear the desperation in his voice, and part of me – the part that had fallen so deeply in love with him – wanted to reach out and comfort him.
But every time I looked at him, I saw my father's face. I saw the man who had raised me, who had taught me to be strong, who had been stolen from me when I was just fifteen years old. And I couldn't separate Collins from that loss, couldn't untangle the man I loved from the son of my father's killer.
"Nora," Collins said softly, taking a tentative step toward me. "Please, tell me what you need. Tell me how to fix this."
I looked up at him through
