Rhys's POV:
"I don’t want to go, Rabbit,” I whispered, my hand barely brushing over her wrist where her pulse beat softly beneath her skin. She was lying still on the bed, her lashes casting faint shadows beneath her eyes. Her breathing was slow, but not peaceful. She was pretending for me. Pretending it was okay. That she understood.
But she didn’t. Not really.
Hell, I didn’t even understand it.
“We don’t,” I added, voice lower. “But…”
She nodded without looking at me, lips pressed into a faint, brittle smile. “I understand.”
She didn’t.
She couldn’t.
And it broke something inside me—watching her shrink in on herself, pulling the blankets closer to her chest like a shield. My chest clenched painfully. I was leaving her when she needed me most. Again.
I leaned in and kissed her t
