đ â Nikolai could only nod to her question, dark eyes full of pain as she dissected him with her own. It was horrific, watching the switch in her. He could handle her disbelief, even her anger, but this wasnât that. This was a nightmare. âOh, skĹpa,â he called her lovingly, his breaking heart manifesting as a tight throat. âI did not want to. Our love was forbidden⌠I thought I was protecting her. Protecting you.â He hadnât meant to approach Nadia but he couldnât stop himself, seeing her so upset. He just gravitated toward his child. âI lost you both, and nothing I did could fix it.â
âProtecting us by leaving? How? How did you think her father would react? What did you think you think he would do to her? To us? To me?â Tears cracked the surface as he referred to her so lovingly, as he tried to explain away why their stories had ended the way they had, but it all served to nearly push her to the edge, and she could hardly remember to breathe. As he grew closer, she didnât know whether she wanted to pull him in or push him away, and it only made the whole moment so much harder. âYou and my mother were the only people in the world who were supposed to love me for always... and I had to spend over five hundred years without you both...â