"Because if you do..." Seraphine swallowed hard. "I'll disappear with Esperanza."
The raw honesty behind those words shattered something inside him. There was no threat or manipulation in her voice, just pure, honest fear.
The deep fear of trusting someone completely only to lose everything afterward.
Voren remembered the conversation they'd had over a month ago, when she'd refused his second investment and admitted she planned to vanish with her daughter the moment she found her.
Back then, she'd been preparing for a future completely on her own, protecting herself and her child, never imagining that the little girl she'd been searching for had been right under his roof the whole time. The irony of it all was almost painful.
Voren gently cupped her face, his thumb brushing tenderly across her cheek. "Sera," he whispered, his voice barely above a breath. "If I knew then what I know now..."
