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Why now? Why would that innocence die within her eyes as she stared back at him with such bleak pain? Surely she had known, had understood, that he had lost his ability to love years ago Hadn’t he?

"She’s hter," Dane snapped "If I had any clue he would touch her--"

"Oh shut up, Dane," Marguerita sighed, her voice lacking fury, but filled instead with disgust "You refuse to ad your head in the sand for years, unwilling to ad so, one day, she will leave our ho to Ian, and what she planned to do Had you been uing with you, you would have understood that"

"He’s too old for her--"

"She’s wanted hilad she waited this long rather sneaking into his bed when she was sixteen, as she once threatened to do," she snapped, her eyes blazing as she turned back to Ian "And I do believe you are as pathetic as any hter should love one so clearly determined to be miserable for the rest of his natural life, I have no idea"

He stared back at Marguerita in surprise

"You know, Ian" Her voice tre you told me once, after you and Dane rescued ned ly little hole I had no idea how to cli was so innocent, so pure, as true love I just watched you destroy the very thing you once said you would treasure above all things Pure, innocent love May God have mercy on your soul" Then she turned to her husband "And pray he hastiive what cohter If she will allow it--" Her voice broke A rehter had flinched fro to be comforted in their presence

Ian stayed silent He heard every word she said, felt theut, but all he could see, all he could truly reaze

As the door sla thehi dissipated in the face of his daughter’s pain, and his wife’s fury, perhaps He watched Ian thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed, the cold gray depths reflective

"Well, you two have truly " Khalid picked his shirt and shoes from the floor as he moved to the door hiuerita summed it up quite well You are both pathetic"

He sla Ian and Dane alone to face each other

"She’s ers wearily through his dark blond hair as he faced Ian now "Thinking of her, in bed…" He grimaced "Da that stuff"

Ian grunted at that

"I won’t let her take the blaed "As you said, I could have said no I could have warned you and let you come after her"

"But she’s an adult," Dane spoke over hi out, she’s not a child anymore"

Ian shifted unco hit hi in his chest

"She loves you," Dane sighed as he pulled hiuerita and Sebastian argued so fiercely I couldn’t iine she could understand the depth of acceptance it takes to love er to point out, our daughter has her grace, not just

Ian pushed his fingers through his hair as he turned from Dane, unconcerned with the other man’s bitter realizations

Da had ripped a hole in his soul when he watched that light die in her eyes, he could feel her pain It hadn’t lessened, but had grown stronger, affecting his breathing, his sense of reality

Nothing lasts forever He hadendures Nothing lasts Nothing is permanent

But Courtney was Her love was Fro doe eyes, she’d watched him with the same unabashed erandparents’ estate in the dead of night while Dane went after Marguerita Her ar, "thank you", "thank you", over and over again And from that day forward, she had watched hi innocence

The innocence of love

She was sha of herself as she was in how she viewed life One of the feho endured simply because they loved

What had he done?

Chapter Fifteen

One Month Later

The pain didn’t go away

The aching loneliness refused to abate

And daet off