Ashley sat in her car just outside Aliyah’s apartment, still shaken by her conversation with Marion. She had never seen him like that before, eyes bloodshot, hands trembling, his voice cracking with guilt. He hadn’t pleaded or begged in a dramatic way, but the sincerity in his words had pierced her. “I didn’t mean to fall in love with her… but I did. And now I’ve lost her.”

Ashley closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. Maybe she had misjudged him. Maybe, just maybe, his feelings ...