I let out a shaky breath, then admitted what I hadn’t said out loud until now. “The truth is… I was jealous. Scared, even. And I didn’t want to stick around long enough to see my fears confirmed.”
He leaned back slightly, his gaze still on me, though a flicker of amusement now danced in his eyes.
“So you really left because you thought I was marrying Isabelle?” he asked, his lips twitching as if he was trying to hold back a laugh. “Seriously?”
His head tilted as he looked me over, like he was seeing me for the first time. “I didn’t take you for someone who quits without a fight.”
I swallowed, feeling both foolish and defensive at once. But deep down, I knew he was right. I had quit. I let fear win.
A fight? That wasn’t a fight—not for me. That was a battle I had already lost long befo
