"...So please, I'm begging you. Give me one more chance." Laura's chest tightened as his words echoed in the room. For a moment, the tenderness in his gaze tugged at something deep inside her—but then a darker thought crept in, casting shadows over her hope. Could he just be saying this because I'm his friend? Out of pity, out of guilt? Her eyes grew cold with a frown knitting her brows as the doubt took hold. Her gaze dropped, and she bit her lip, trying to muster a response. But she couldn't find the words. It felt as though her heart had been pulled in two opposing directions. Instead of answering, she took a shaky step back, and then another, retreating from the intensity of his confession. Jonathan reached out, alarmed, but she shook her head almost imperceptibly, her expression unr

