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If only she believed in him just as much, perhaps they would have been able to escape this nightmare. Perhaps they could have been in Paris or Venice. Anywhere but here.

Except she didn’t believe in him. Over and over, she had proven to him that no matter what he did, she would never love him the way he loved her. And she would never trust him the way she had before she had learned the truth about him.

The offbeat clicks of heels against the stone-cold floor and the rustling of fabric indicated that more than one person was moving toward William’s cell. And at least one of them was a woman.

William’s gaze was glued to the barred opening of the door, praying silently to see her face one more time. Her name became a benediction in his mind.

And then the footsteps slowed, a few words were exchanged, and finally—finally!—Victoria’s lovely face appeared behind the door.

William jolted up, lithely jumping to his feet as though he hadn’t spent the last week sitting in the same place, unmoving, lost in self-pity. His heart beating wildly against his chest, he stared into her beautiful eyes, as black as midnight. They were shimmering with tears, and her eyelids were puffy as if from hours of crying. Had she been crying for him?

A part of him questioned whether this was even happening. Was she really in front of him, looking at him with sad, dewy eyes? He had dreamed about this for so long that he couldn’t trust his own mind.

Perhaps he had fallen asleep. Was he dreaming?

“William,” she said, taking in his appearance.

He smiled. “I know. Not my best look, is it?”

Victoria stepped closer, her fingers encircling the grimy iron bars separating them. She swallowed and licked her lips. “I waited for you. I didn’t know how to find you, so I tied a handkerchief to the window and waited for you. But you never came.”

His heart jolted at her words. He raised his hands as much as he could, his iron shackles jingling. “I was a bit tied up.”

Victoria smiled weakly. “I can see that.”

“I am glad you came. I wished… I dreamed you would come.”

“Of course, I came!” Her voice was no longer soft, notes of anger seeping into her tone. She was the only person he knew who could be smiling one moment and angry the next.

“I wanted to tell you so many things,” William said. “So many things, but I remember none of them now.”

Victoria shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll tell me later.”

William licked his lips. “There might not be a later, lubimaya.”

“There will be. I promise you.”

William flinched. “Do not make promises you can’t keep.”

“William—” she started to protest but he shook his head.

“I wanted to tell you so many things, but in the end, only one thing matters. I was wrong.”

“Pardon me?” Her features grew confused.

“I was wrong about everything concerning you. I was selfish and hypocritical. I married you for my own self-serving reasons. I fell in love with you so quickly that my mind refused to process that you could never be truly mine.”

“But I am yours,” she said weakly.

He shook his head again. “You fought me all through our marriage so do not stop now. I don’t want you to be sad that I am about to die. I want you to live a long and happy life. I want you to remember all the good times we’ve shared if it brings you comfort. But I know you enough to understand that you’ll need to be angry with me. So, be angry, even furious at me.

“In fact, hate me. You have ample reasons to hate me. Hate me for all the things I did in self-service, disguising it as an act of love. For tricking you, seducing you, and dashing all your dreams. For trying to be good enough for you and failing miserably every time.”

“Oh, stop!” Victoria cried, tears of frustration glistening in her eyes. “You want me to hate you? Well, I do! But not for the reasons you think. I don’t hate you for your lies or tricks, I don’t hate you for your stealing, graverobbing, and even blackmail. I don’t hate you for bringing me to the tower, demanding kisses, and forcing me to share a bed with you. I don’t hate you for anything that brought me closer to you. What I do hate you for is right here, right now. Not because you were caught, but because you’ve given up. Because after all we’ve been through, you’re telling me to live a life without you. So, yes, I hate you. But only because I love you. I always have.

“I know you think I don’t trust you, but I do. I have trusted you this entire time. I forced myself to act like I didn’t because I thought I’d be a fool to do so. But I was twice a fool not to. I ruined our time together even as I enjoyed every moment of it. I ruined your trust in yourself and as a result, here you are. Yes, it’s my fault you got caught, don’t you see? You would have never been involved with anything to do with Porter if it wasn’t for me. You wouldn’t be forced to endure social functions where half the people can’t stand you because they envy you. Because what they have is purely a result of the luck of the draw. They managed to be born into families with titles and that’s their only accomplishment in life. While you fought for everything you have. And that’s why I love you. I love you for your past, your present, and your future.

“And right now, I need you to stop with the self-pity and despair. I need you to fight again.”