Axle's POV
The moment her face changed, I knew my instincts were 100% correct.
That small shift... that looked barely there but impossible to miss was all the confirmation I needed. My guess had been right all along. Her reluctance, her walls, the way she kept pulling away no matter how close I got… it all went back to him.
Her ex. That bastard.
The bastard who had left scars that she had buried deep enough to bleed into every part of her life.
I took a deep breath before taking slow steps toward her, while watching her closely, my voice lowered now but steady. "Narda… I'm not him. I'm not your ex."
Her lips parted slightly, but she said nothing, so I pressed on. "I wouldn't cheat on you. I would never do that to you and I sure as hell wouldn't abandon you for anything
