She froze, breath hitching, and then—unexpectedly—lunged into his arms, wrapping around him like a vine claiming stone.
Her face buried in the crook of his neck, golden hair spilling over his shoulder as sobs shook her frame, muffled against his skin.
The Viscountess, unbreakable pillar of Leonidus, clung to him like a girl adrift, her body still pressed hot and insistent against his arousal, but the desperation now laced with vulnerability.
"Why... why did you want to marry her? My Flora... our Flora." The words tumbled out, raw and broken, her fingers digging into his back. "Augustus speaks of it—as if it's sealed, a union to bind you and us. But you... you chose her. After everything we've... after me."
Aiden's heart twisted—not from guilt, but from the fierce protectiveness her pain ignited. He held her tighter for a moment, one hand stroking the silken fall of her hair, the other sliding down to cup her hip, grounding her in his warmth.
