Hearing his voice, a look of profound mockery flashed in Lemira's eyes.

When she spoke, her tone was dripping with sarcastic venom, rough and broken.

"Was it fun, stringing me along for so long?"

Orion lowered his eyes, entirely unable to meet her gaze. His Adam's apple bobbed. "I never wanted to lie to you."

"But you did it anyway, didn't you?"

Lemira forced her chin up, her stare turning ice-cold. "You were in the Sinclairs' car that night. True or false?"

"True."

"Why didn't you tell me from the very beginning?"

She felt like an absolute idiot. When she had first started digging into the crash, Orion was the *only* person she confided in. He was the only one who knew every detail of her investigation.

And he had kept his mouth shut the entire time.

Orion's jaw tightened. "Because I was a coward. I felt too guilty to tell you the truth."

*Guilty?*

Lemira let out a hollow laugh. So, her instincts were right.

Having confirmed her worst fears, she locked eyes with him. "One last question. Did the Everhart family have a hand in the crash?"

"Yes. But my mother was completely unaware."

At those words, Lemira squeezed her eyes shut. Her chest heaved erratically, the only outward sign of the catastrophic heartbreak tearing her apart from the inside. After what felt like an eternity, she spoke again. "So... you taking that job as the university doctor. That was because of me?"

"Yes."

"You approached me to figure out how much I knew about the accident?"

Orion pressed his lips into a thin line. "I wanted to see how you were doing. I wanted to make amends."

The irony was suffocating. *Make amends.*

So every ounce of kindness, every protective gesture he had ever shown her, was rooted entirely in pity and guilt.

Did he ever even love her at all?

Lemira turned her face away, staring blankly at the far wall. "I've asked what I needed to ask. Get the hell out of here."

Orion stared at her, his eyes filled with desperate yearning. "Once the dust settles with the Sinclair family, we'll sit down and talk."

"There is absolutely nothing left to talk about. As far as we're concerned, none of this ever happened."

She couldn't stand the sight of him for a second longer.

Those words hit Orion like a physical blow, nearly knocking the breath out of his lungs.

Even though he had known this day would come-the day she found out the truth and severed ties with him

Was

completely the reality of it absolute agony

Orion stood frozen in place, his voice ragged. "I don't accept that."

He refused to let her go.

Lemira grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him. "Get out!"

The pillow bounced harmlessly off his chest. He bent down, picked it up, and set it

on the edge of the bed. "I'll leave as soon as your IV is finished."

"Get out right now, or I'll rip this needle out of my arm!"

Lemira's face was flushed with fury, her eyes rimmed with red.

Who the hell did he think he was to *reject* a breakup?

From the very start, she had been the one chasing him, the one throwing her heart on the line.

Only to find out it had all been a pathetic delusion.

If Orion hadn't felt guilty about the crash, their paths never would have crossed. He

never would have given her a second glance.

He never would have treated her like she was someone special.

Their entire relationship had been built on a transaction of guilt.

Orion turned around. "I'll wait in the living room."

He stepped out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him.

Lemira stared at the space he had just occupied, her fierce facade crumbling instantly. She clenched her teeth and spat, "Jerk! Absolute bastard!"

He was unbelievable.

Leaning against the wall just outside her door, Orion heard her muffled curses. A faint, sad smile touched his lips.

If she had the energy to yell, her condition wasn't critical yet.

A violent tickle clawed at his throat. Suppressing the urge to cough, he walked into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of ice water, swallowing it down to numb the irritation.

He sank onto the living room sofa, his gaze falling onto a small plush pillow beside him. It was a

promotional gift from Bistrova from

one of their past dates

Orion reached out and poked the plushie's round cheek. The soft texture beneath

his fingertips reminded him far too much of her face.