The door opened quietly. Max stepped inside slowly.
The moment he saw her crying like that, his chest tightened painfully.
"Mila…"
Hearing his voice, she instantly looked up.
The softness vanished from her face, replaced by fury.
"That was your idea, wasn't it?" she snapped viciously, sitting up. "You asked your father to force me into marriage."
Max stiffened. "No, Mila—"
"You know I love Dominic," she shouted over him. "You know I belong to him. Yet you are trying to take advantage of this situation."
Resentment burned fiercely inside her. "I hate this," she cried. "I hate all of this."
Her eyes turned red from crying. "Listen carefully," she hissed. "Even if someone forces me to marry you, I will never love you."
Every word stabbed into Max's heart.
"My heart belongs to only one man," she whispered brokenly. "And that's Dominic."
Max stood there quietly, pain flickering across his face.
Her words hurt far more than he expected.
