"The way you treat Valentina."
I smile. "That's because Val is easy to love."
"Also, it’s the way you speak to the staff."
My smile fades. "What?"
"You thank them."
I stare at him in disbelief. "Of course I do."
"You'd be surprised at the amount of people who don’t."
The answer makes me sad. I don’t understand why you wouldn’t thank people who are helping you, regardless of whether they’re being paid to do so. I know my parents don’t and neither does Daire, but they’re assholes and it’s expected they’d be ignorant toward the staff.
"It’s also the way your brothers look at you."
I frown. "What does that mean?"
"They'd kill for you."
I snort. "They absolutely would."
"I know." The way he says it makes me laugh again.
His expression softens. "And then there was Orla."
My laughter dies, and the room falls silent as I wait for him to continue.
"You never defended yourself."
I stare at him, confused as to why that would make him change his mind about me. "What?"
"Everyone else did." His gaze holds mine as his fingers continue to run through my hair. "Daire defended herself by lying, and so did your parents. They had excuses for why they covered it up."
The mention of my parents leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
"You didn't."
I don't know what to say to that, because he's right, I didn't. I was too tired, too ashamed, and too used to nobody listening.
"I had an inkling that something wasn't right, and everything pointed at Daire telling the truth, but I doubted it. I never fully trusted her word."
His confession makes my chest ache, because he had doubted me. For weeks he'd looked at me differently and he'd pulled away. But he'd never completely believed her either.
"I wanted to hate you for it," I admit quietly. His hand stills in my hair. I force myself to keep going. "For believing her. For looking at me like I was capable of something like that."
Regret flashes across his face. "I know. I was angry," he says. "At the situation, at what happened to Orla, but more importantly, I was angry at the possibility that everyone had lied to us again."
I nod. I understand that. I don't like it, but I understand it.
Silence settles between us for a moment and his fingers start moving through my hair again. Slow, steady, and comforting.
I stare at his chest. "Is that why you pulled away?"
His hand pauses briefly.
"The weeks before the wedding," I say quietly. "You went cold on me."
