After seeing how Myanin had changed, watching how her heart had healed, and then seeing how Gerick had reacted to her, Tenia had allowed a tiny seed of hope to grow inside. For a split second, she’d thought maybe, just maybe, there was a chance she could give Skender the benefit of the doubt. Maybe whatever he’d done could be fixed or he could be redeemed. But if he’d hurt a child, r***d a woman, or something as equally abhorrent, she would never be able to get past it. She’d never want his love or desire his touch. She would always wonder if someone capable of such things even had the capacity to love. Yearning for that small hope of redemption, and then realizing it was futile, was more painful than she’d expected.
Tenia pressed her face into her hands and silently cried. Her shoulders
