"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Vyr said his scripted lines in the last scene, his voice a low, honeyed murmur. "I've realized my mistakes, and I want us to be together."

"Do you really mean that?" Zeda asked, looking up at him with a lovestruck expression that felt a little too real.

"Yes, Thena. I love you," he said, his expression warm as he gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Was it strange that her pulse kicked up at his words? This is a drama, girl, she told herself.

"I love ...