"It doesnae matter."But even as Maia said it, she wondered if that was true. "Even if he did push her away, he's been avoidin' me for days. Clearly, whatever happened between us meant more to me than it did to him."
They reachedthe edge of the forest and paused, looking back at the castle one last time. Maia felt tears threatening again and blinked them back furiously.
She'd been happy here.Happier than she'd been in six years. Had started to believe that maybe, just maybe, she could have a future. Could have love. Could have everything she'd stopped letting herself dream about.
But she'd been wrong.She'd let hope blind her to reality, had let herself believe in fairy tales when she should have known better.
"Come on,"she said to Mollie. "Let's go before I lose me nerve."
They disappearedinto the trees just as the sun began to set, leaving Castle McGill behind.
"And if ye ever try somethin'like that again, if ye ever dare to put yer hands on me without permission, I willnae just exile ye. I'll destroy everythin' ye and yer family have built. Do I make meself absolutely clear?"
Ewan's voicewas ice as he loomed over Laura, who'd gone pale and trembling after he'd thrown her off his lap.
"I—Idinnae mean—I was just?—"
"Get. Out."
Laura fled,the door slamming behind her with enough force to rattle the frame. Ewan stood there for a long moment, his hands still clenched into fists, fury and disgust warring in his chest.
How dare she?
Howdareshe enter his study uninvited, proposition him despite being explicitly told she wasn't welcome, and then—and then put her hands on him like she had any right.
But beneath thefury was something else. Something that felt uncomfortably like clarity.
Because when Laurahad straddled him, when she'd leaned in to kiss him, Ewan's only thought had beenwrong.
Wrong woman,wrong touch, wrong everything.
Because she wasn't Maia.
And suddenly,with perfect, terrifying clarity, Ewan knew exactly what he wanted.
He wanted Maia.Wanted her in his life, in his bed, in his future. Wanted to wake up every morning knowing she was his, that she'd chosen him, that they'd built something real together.
Wantedto stop being afraid of what he might become and start focusing on what he already was, a man who'd do anything to protect the woman he loved.
The woman I love.
The thoughtno longer terrified him. Instead, it felt right. Inevitable. Like something he should have admitted to himself weeks ago.
Ewan strodeto the door and yanked it open. He needed to find Maia. Needed to tell her everything—about Laura's unwanted advances, about his fears, about how he felt.
Neededto ask her if she could possibly feel the same way about him.
He madehis way through the castle corridors, ignoring the servants who tried to stop him with questions or concerns. Nothing mattered except getting to Maia's chambers, except seeing her face and telling her.
The doorto her chambers stood open.
Ewan felthis chest tighten with apprehension as he stepped inside. "Maia?"
No response.
"Maia,are ye here? I need to talk to ye about?—"
He stopped abruptlyas Aisla emerged from behind the changing screen, her arms full of linens. Her expression when she saw him was strange, guilty and sad and sympathetic all at once.
