We sat facing each other in the coffee shop.
The shadows under her eyes were dark and heavy. Her clothes hung loose on her frame, nothing like the way they used to fit.
"I called off the engagement. Can we try again?" She got the words out the second she sat down, rushed and urgent. "I didn't know I loved you. I've never loved anyone before. My parents were always cold to me. They had a business marriage. I was just a tool to them. But I understand now. I understand how to love someone. Let's go back to the way things were."
I took a sip of my espresso. It hit my tongue bitter and harsh.
"So you're capable of sleeping with a man you don't love at all."
Victoria's face crumpled.
I could tell she was remembering it too.
It happened during their first year together, back when the novel
