Scarlett's POV
"Leo, I mean it. We can't see each other again until I return," I said, my voice trembling as I clutched the sheets to my chest. "We can talk on the phone, but I need you to respect my decision. It's just two years."
"No," Leo snapped, his jaw tight. "Two years is a lifetime, Scarlett. I just found you. I'm not letting you vanish again."
"You have to!" I cried, the frustration bubbling over. Did he think this was easy for me? Every time I looked at him, I felt a crushing weight of guilt. I was seeing him behind his brothers' backs, keeping a secret that would shatter Leonard and Liam if they ever found out. "This is my decision, Leo. You said you could get your brothers to start families—fine. Work on that. But we are not meeting like this. Not until the time is right."
"You're asking me to go back to a life of pretending you're dead," he growled, pacing the small space of the hotel room.
