The past two days had been torture for me. I had given Antalya the space she asked for, hoping that time alone would help her process everything I had told her about her parents. Every fiber of my being wanted to be with her, to comfort her, to make sure she was okay. But I forced myself to stay away, knowing that pushing her right now would only make things worse.

When she asked to talk to me, my heart leaped with hope. Maybe she had finally understood that I wasn't the monster she ...