Chapter 114

She paused, eyeing his expressions, expecting and preparing for any kind of blow. But all she could see was his jaw clenching making her gulp, but not breaking her resolve.

Murat stared at her, his expression unreadable.

“I can never undo what I let happen,” she continued. “But I can try to make amends.”

For a long moment, he said nothing. Then, to her astonishment, a chuckle rumbled in his chest.

“You have a golden heart, Ayleen,” he said, leaning forward to brush away her tears. “Even if you’d planned it all with her, I wouldn’t blame you. After everything I’ve done to you, you could poison me, shoot me, and I wouldn’t even flinch.”

Ayleen’s tears spilled over at his words. “Even monsters deserve a chance to find light,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

He stared at her, the firelight flickering in his green eyes. Slowly, he entwined his fingers with hers and pulled her closer.

A pebble started to form in Murat’s throat, his gaze flicker