Ainsley stood by the window, his eyes lost in the night as if the darkness could bring answers. He could spend the rest of his life with Eloise, if only she would say the words. Eloise stayed silent. Her face betrayed no emotion, but inside, her heart thundered. ‘What do you want from me? Why do you need to hear it now, after everything?’ Once, she could have said it a thousand times without blinking. Now, the words choked her. Ainsley’s gaze never left her. The silence stretched like a blade between them, cutting deeper the longer it lasted. He was used to getting what he wanted, but this….this felt like begging.
He gave a bitter smile, the coldness in his eyes failing to hide the anguish beneath. "Is it so difficult?"
There was more pain in his voice than he intended to show. He wanted
