Zoe's POV
I stood frozen on the terrace, my chest heaving as his words echoed in the cold night air. Every nerve in my body was screaming at me to surrender, to collapse against him, to tell him that I had never stopped loving him for a single second. The truth burned like fire in my throat.
Gathering every last shred of emotional strength I possessed, I forced my arms down and took a heavy step backward, breaking the physical connection between us.
Brandon's hands fell limply to his sides. His dark eyes closed as a shadow of profound disappointment and pain swept across his face.
I turned away, tintoblue silk of my gown brushing against my boots, and began walking toward the pavement with hasty, uneven steps.
"Zoe, please!" Brandon's voice called out from behind me, cracked and desperate, stripping away every ounce of his pride. "Say something! Anything! Please don't leave me again... We can't keep torturing each other like this! Please don't do this!"
