"What?"
The word slipped out of Cassie before she could stop it, soft but edged with confusion. She stared at Franklin like he'd suddenly started speaking a language she didn't recognize.
It wasn't that she didn't understand the words. It was just that she had never looked at things that way before. Never allowed herself to.
Franklin, however, looked far too eager to let her dodge it.
"It's just a simple question," he pressed, leaning slightly forward, his eyes sharp and unblinking. "Do you love him or not?"
Cassie inhaled slowly. The air felt heavier in her lungs, like even breathing suddenly required effort. She looked down at her hands, fingers twisting together unconsciously.
"I don't know," she said honestly, her voice quieter now. "I've been hurt. Badly. My heart
