Elin’s POV:

Aaron’s eyes—those fathomless pools of midnight blue—fixed on me, his lips curving into a smile that carried no warmth. It was a smile edged with something sharp, something cruel. I felt it like a blade, mocking me, stripping away every fragile defense I had left.

Yes. That was it. He wasn’t even pretending otherwise. He was mocking me. And deep inside his mind he must be whispering: That’s right, Elin. You’re nothing but a substitute, a plaything. How could you ever ...