Chapter 39

Zane’s POV

I reached out, gently cupping her face in my hands, his touch warm and comforting. “Belle, you don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you either.”

She leaned into my touch and I felt like I was making some headway, but she suddenly pulled away.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “You don’t understand, Zane. I’m not just dealing with the usual kind of problems. It’s deeper than that, more complicated. And I don’t want to put you in a position where you might end up regretting it.”

I looked at her with so much concern. I could not bear to know that she was going through a lot and I did nothing about it. “Belle, I don’t care how complicated it is. I’m not going anywhere.”

She shook her head. “Please, Zane,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Just... let it go.”

“Belle—” Zane started, but I cut him off.

“Please, Zane,” I said, my voice pleading. “Can we just... drop i