How could he say that so casually?
The warmth his words had stirred in her chest rose quickly to her cheeks, spreading like sunlight across winter skin. For a brief, reckless second, her heart fluttered. Her body betrayed her, leaning toward the promise hidden inside his tone.
But her mind was not so easily deceived.
Of course, it's easy for him to say.
He had once promised to marry her too. And the very next day, he had shattered their engagement in the cruelest way possible—by turning her into a cheater in the eyes of the world.
The warmth drained from her just as quickly as it had come. The flutter in her chest stilled. She did not lash out, did not raise her voice, but something inside her must have shifted visibly.
Maximilian stiffened. He looked at her as though something precious had slipped through his fingers.
"Why did you break our engagement?" she asked quietly.
