Chapter 17
Three years ago
Connor was acting off. Daniela couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was wrong. Even if he wouldn’t tell her what was going on.
“Why won’t you talk to me?” Sitting across from him in a booth at a local place they frequented, she traced her finger up the stem of her wineglass as he glanced down at his phone.
“It’s just work stuff,” he murmured before tucking his phone away and out of sight.
“I figured. But you look stressed. Is there anything I can do to help?”
He gave her a smile that didn’t reach his green eyes even as he slid his hand across the table, took hold of hers. “It’s nothing. Or nothing interesting. I want to hear about your day.”
He was lying to her, at least about it being nothing. But it wasn’t like she could force him to be open with her. She’d thought they were working toward something real, had been more open with him than she’d ever imagined being with anyone.
He understood the dangers of being involved with her and hadn’t cared. That meant everything to her, that she was worth it for him. But if they weren’t open with each other, if he kept part of his life from her…she didn’t know how they would ever really know each other.
But she pasted on a smile because that was what she did. “I signed two new artists today.” It had been a busy, fruitful day and one of the reasons they were out tonight.
It was supposed to be a celebration, but deep down she could feel Connor pulling away from her.
She wanted to tell herself that it was her imagination, but she felt his withdrawal as if there was a tangible string connecting them.
As they talked, ate, had drinks, she felt like she was almost dying inside. Was this what happened when you let someone in and they pulled away? When you fell in love and they were about to leave and there wasn’t a damned thing you could do to stop it?
No. She might have had absolutely no blueprint for what a healthy relationship looked like, but she read a lot.
And she’d been in more therapy than she wanted to think about—seeing someone murdered when she was twelve had only been the beginning of her family bullshit.
So she kept her mouth shut and tried to enjoy her meal. But knew she’d failed.
By the time they got into his SUV, he’d picked up on the shift in her mood.
“You’re quiet tonight,” he murmured as he started the engine, but didn’t make a move to pull out of their spot.
“What do you want me to say? I know you’re not telling me everything right now and it bothers me.”
His jaw clenched once and he looked away for a moment.
But then he met her gaze. “There are things I want to tell you. Want more than I want my next breath, but…I can’t.
I literally can’t. For both our sakes.” She heard the truth and the desperation in his voice, and her heart pounded.
“No matter what though, I love you, Daniela. That’s the truest thing I’ve ever said. ”
And maybe it made her the biggest kind of fool, but she believed him. Even knowing he had the power to break her heart, she still believed him.