"I know you don't love me yet. It's fine. You can take your time," Eilika said softly. She could feel the rapid thrumming of her heart against her ribs as she spoke.
Deep down, a nagging doubt flickered in her. She wondered if Damian only initiated this intimacy because the truth about Liliana had finally surfaced. If that secret hadn't been exposed, she feared such closeness might have stayed out of reach for much longer.
Her mind drifted back to that night on the beach when she had sat alone in the sand. Damian had come running to her, and in that moment, she had seen a kaleidoscope of emotions in his eyes: genuine care, fear, and perhaps even the beginnings of love. That had happened before he knew the truth about Liliana, just as he had told her.
"What are you contemplating?" he inquired, his voice low as he watched the play of emotions on her face.
