At her admission Mr. Delaney remained quiet. She counted the seconds in each thump of her heart. But she would not, could not, keep the truth from him. No matter what he decided she would not blame him for it. She’d survived heartbreak before, she would again. She was stronger than she looked, it was a simple truth she had learned. As she waited her hands shook in her lap, she folded them together to try and still them, try to appear calm.

Finally he turned from the window, eyes gray and brooding. She read the emotions on his face, surprised by them. But what shocked her more were his words. Nimiane’s dark blue eyes widened. “I can not deny that I would.” Nimiane started, her emotions swirling. “But I would not want you to stay out of a sense of duty for what happened, or because you wish to prevent any further harm to me.” That would be a fate much worse than heartbreak, to know the man before her, a man she was realizing she had the potential to truly love, was only with her because of a sense of duty. “I am stronger than I appear, Mr. Delaney.” She added, her words quiet but firm. She would not live a life of duty, she had long ago turned from that path.