Carlos's POV
I let out a heavy sigh as Grace ended the call right after I told her those three words.
Those same words used to roll off my tongue so effortlessly with countless women from my past, and every single one of them would echo them back without hesitation.
Grace, however, was entirely different.
No matter how relentlessly I tried to bring joy into her life, she remained guarded, her defenses firmly in place.
"Could this be payback?" I found myself wondering aloud. "I tossed those words around carelessly to so many women I felt nothing for. Now I can't even get the woman I truly care about to return my feelings."
The irony wasn't lost on me.
I recognized my own desperation.
Those words shouldn't have escaped my lips just now, yet I couldn't stop them.
Something restless stirred within my chest, urging me to speak with the foolish hope that Grace might respond as naturally as if we'd been together for years.
