Denzel’s POV
I held Venessa for a while as she cried against my chest. I could feel the shift in her relief pouring out of her in waves. Whatever she had been carrying, it had weighed heavily on her, and I was grateful that the burden had finally been lifted.
I respected her more than she would ever know.
She had possessed information that could have destroyed Jalisa, yet she had kept it to herself. She wasn’t the type to fight dirty or strike from the shadows. Perhaps that was why she had wanted to leave to escape a situation where doing the right thing cost her everything.
I could only imagine what she endured daily, watching Jalisa and Tyrell together while carrying that truth alone. The realization made my chest tighten.
I had failed her.
Venessa was my mate, yet I had brought he
