Page 226 of Only Be Mine

“I’m not,” I lied.

His thumb paused against my skin. “You flinch when I move too quickly,” he said quietly.

Heat rushed up my spine. “That’s not true.”

“It is.”

His voice didn’t rise.

It didn’t have to.

“I’ve given you everything,” he continued. “Stability. Protection. A future.”

I held his gaze. “I didn’t ask for protection,” I said carefully.

Something shifted behind his eyes.

Subtle, but real.

“No,” he agreed softly. “You didn’t.”

His hand dropped. “And look where that got you.”

The words sliced clean.

He stepped back before I could react. “We’re going to do something today,” he said, businesslike again. “Something proactive.”

My pulse ticked upward. “What?”

“You’re going to call Marshal. On speaker.”

Ice slid down my spine.

“And you’re going to tell him you were overwhelmed yesterday. That you misunderstood his tone. That you’re safe.”

It wasn’t a request.

It wasn’t even phrased like an order.

It was framed like logic.

“That’s not what happened,” I said.

Trevor’s head tilted slightly. “Isn’t it?”

He took a slow step toward me when I didn't respond.

“Cate,” he said, voice low and patient, “you’re grieving. Your emotions are heightened. That’s understandable.”

He stopped in front of me. “But you don’t get to destabilize our lives because of a feeling.”

John’s ring burned in my memory.

“You’re asking me to lie,” I said.

His expression softened almost pityingly. “I’m asking you to choose your marriage.”

The room felt smaller.