But now, at least, everything seemed much clearer to me.
All of Cynthia's lingering hesitation, her awkwardness, it all finally made sense. I had originally thought her distance stemmed purely from the fact that we had grown up like family. She had always treated me as a little brother, so I assumed her reluctance was merely the discomfort of shifting that relation into a marital one. But as expected, there was a deeper current beneath it all.
While our childhood bond certainly played a part, this love she harbored for Alan Dawnheart was clearly the true source of her reluctance. Lenora was likely fully aware of this, but she had wisely chosen to let Cynthia confess the truth to me herself.
"Is the feeling reciprocated?" I asked nonetheless, just to be certain.
Cynthia nodded slowly.
So, Cynthia truly loved him, and he loved her in return.
"I am so sorry..." She whispered again, her voice cracking.
"What exactly are you apologizing for?" I asked, raising a brow.
