Chapter 46

That wound is deeper than you can heal.

No, it was deep, no question. But it wasn’t mortal. And she already knew it was going to take time. She could help him with that, she was sure of it. “Please don’t agree just to spite your parents,” Anna said quietly.

The glow in his eyes focused sharply on her. “What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, you should have a family because you want one. Because you want a wife and a child. Because you love them.” Her mouth had suddenly gone dry, but she made herself say it. “A family isn’t about gaining an inheritance or getting revenge, Cedric. A family is about love. Or do you want your children to have the same childhood you had?”

She was pushing him, she knew it. And perhaps she’d pushed too far, because the expression on his face shut down and let her go, stepping back. Her heart shriveled in her chest at the cold look on his face, her fingers curling around the warmth of his body still lingering on her palms. And she wanted