Amaya tried to focus on her plan for revenge, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw Adrian—broken, haunted, vulnerable. That weakness should have satisfied her, but instead it left her unsettled.
Late one night, Adrian found her in the garden.
"You can hate me all you want," he said quietly, "but you can't pretend you don't feel this."
She turned on him, furious. "What I feel is disgust."
But when his hand brushed her cheek, she didn't pull away fast enough. Her body trembled, betraying her.
"Stop confusing me," she whispered.
Adrian's eyes darkened. "Then stop running."
Their lips collided again, this time not in anger but in desperation. For one fleeting moment, they both forgot the lies, the pain, the war between them.
And that terrified Amaya most of all.