Lori turned in his arms to face him.
"Never," she said, her voice fierce. "I have never regretted a single moment with you."
Attia's eyes searched hers.
"Even when I didn't tell you about Monica? Even when my family tried to destroy you? Even when the Council—"
"Attia." She reached up and touched his face, her fingers tracing the strong line of his jaw. "I would go through all of it again. Every moment of pain, every tear, every fear. Because it led me here. To you."His eyes glistened.
"I don't deserve you," he whispered.
Lori smiled.
"You don't get to decide that. I do. And I say you deserve all of me."
She rose on her toes and kissed him.
It was soft at first—gentle, tender, a brush of lips that spoke of love and gratitude. But the moment their mouths met, something shifted. The
