"How?"
"Perhaps you could have dinner with me and afterwards you’ll let me beat you at cards."
He nodded and watched her skip off, hating the relief he felt knowing she had no feelings for her former betrothed.
He had begun a dangerous game by opening up too much to her, and if he were to continue down this path, he would no doubt find himself in deeper trouble than he was now.
He couldn’t deny now that he had fallen for his wife even though he had been trying to put her away from him. He had known from the moment he had seen her walk down the aisle, radiant albeit scared, that she would be dangerous to him, but he hadn’t known just how much till he had returned to his family’s estate and he had seen just how capable she truly was.
Her stubborn way of voicing her feelings, even when he attempted to intimidate her into silence, had him thinking abouther much more than he should have until she had imprinted herself firmly in his mind.
He couldn’t continue down this path if he wanted to protect her from the monster he truly was. He couldn’t keep pretending he could be the man she wanted him to be, a man with whom she could live a normal life. It would hurt both of them, but with time, she would come to see that this was the best path he could take. For that night, he would enjoy the fantasy he had spun for both of them.
