But the door remained closed.
“Genevieve,” Wilhelm called again, his voice thick with emotion, each syllable wrapped in a plea. “Please… let me speak to you.”
Inside the room, Genevieve had frozen in place. Her fingers clutched the folds of her skirts as though holding them tightly might somehow keep her steady.
“Leave me be, Wilhelm,” she managed, her voice wavering, though she willed it to be firm.
She was sitting on the floor by the far window, the soft light from the cloudy morning tentatively brushing against her. Her knees were tightly drawn to her chest, her arms wrapped around them as she anxiously rocked and willed herself to disappear.
“Genevieve, please,” Wilhelm implored, his voice cracking as his knuckles knocked desperately on the oak door.
Genevieve’s gaze dropped to the ornate rug beneath her and began tracing its intricate patterns to keep her eyes from wandering to the door. Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, each one tighter than the last.
She bit her lip hard, holding back the tears that threatened to spill over. The faint tremor in her hands betrayed her resolve, though she tried to steady them by clutching the folds of her dress tighter.
“Genevieve…” his voice came again, quieter this time but no less desperate.
She held her breath. Each time Wilhelm called her name, he was stirring a fresh ache inside of her. But she refused to let herself feel it. Never again.
“Genevieve, please. I need to explain… I need you to understand.”
“There is nothing left for you to say, Wilhelm,” Genevieve retorted, her voice carrying a hint of finality.
Wilhelm’s desperation grew, his voice a desperate plea. “Please, Genevieve,” he begged, “I need to explain.”
She did not move from where she sat.
“Genevieve,” he pleaded, his voice now barely above a whisper, “please,pleaseopen the door.”
Her heart clenched painfully at the defeated tone of his voice. She wanted to harden herself against it, to pretend that his words could not reach her, but the raw emotion in his plea chipped away at the walls she had so carefully built.
Why does he have to sound so sincere?
The storm of emotions inside her was unbearable: hurt, anger, confusion, and, beneath it all, the faint whisper of the love she had once felt for him. It was that whisper that made her chest tighten and her resolve falter.
Maybe, just maybe, I should hear him out and put an end to this.
Perhaps hearing his explanation, whatever it might be, would give her some peace and clarity.
With trembling legs, she pushed herself upright, one hand clutching the wall for balance. The cool plaster steadied her shaking limbs as she took a hesitant step forward, then another.
Each movement felt monumental, her breath quickening with every inch she closed between herself and the door.
As her hand reached for the door, a brief moment of doubt gripped her. Should she hear him out? The indecision tormented her as she pulled open the door.
“What do you want?” she finally demanded, her voice sharper than she had intended, her trembling hand poised over the handle.
Wilhelm looked at her, his voice overflowing with shame and remorse. “I… I have come to apologize,” he stammered.
Genevieve’s eyes narrowed, her arms crossed over her chest defensively. “Apologize?” she echoed, her voice laced with disbelief. “For what?”
Wilhelm’s shoulders slumped, his gaze dropping to the floor. “For… everything,” he admitted.
He took a step closer, his eyes pleading. “I was a fool, Genevieve,” he confessed, his voice laced with regret. “I let my insecurities and ambitions cloud my judgment. I used your reputation and the Ton’s superstition to intimidate my rivals. I… I did not stop to think about the consequences… or the pain it would cause you.” He paused, his gaze searching hers. “I was a selfish coward,” he continued, his voice thick with emotion.
He reached for her hand, his touch gentle and hesitant.
“I was wrong, Genevieve, so terribly wrong.” His voice trembled with shame. “I used you, and I betrayed your trust. I feel nothing but contempt for what I did. I-I was wrong to shut you out, to keep you at arm’s length.”
