Ezren’s POV
Ezren tugged on his still-wet shirt and jeans and yanked on his shoes. Freya hadn’t made a sound at his confession, and his stomach rolled unhappily. Icy fear twisted around his heart like barbed wire, making it impossible to breathe.
He had to get away from Freya. He didn’t want to see her judgmental reaction to his truth. He couldn’t see those eyes harden and grow cold toward him. Not after so much warmth had shown in their depths. It would turn the remains of his heart into dust.
Leaving was what he was good at, and hiding his true self behind a mask of untouchable indifference was a game he’d perfected decades ago. If you cared about nothing, no one could hurt you. It was easy to keep people at a distance. To smile boyishly and charm them.
But no mask could hide that h
