Chapter 96

Wren's heart ached in a way he couldn't suppress. His hands trembled as he held her, but he forced himself to reel in the emotions threatening to spill over. Finally, he released her and stepped back, his voice hoarse with regret. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to scare you." Clara's fingers curled slightly, but she lifted her head and offered him a soft smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's fine. I know you must've been half-asleep and confused, thinking I was someone else. I won't hold it against you. "But there can't be a next time, okay? I wouldn't want your fiancée to get the wrong idea." Her words hit Wren like a punch to the gut. She'd understood. Of course, she had. Clara had always been sharp—too sharp to miss the meaning behind his plea. But her immediate response was to deny and distance herself. And then there was that word: fiancée. Wren felt the weight of his own choices pressing down on him. This was what it meant to reap what you sow. He clenched hi