I avoided Declan for the rest of the week, because I wasn’t sure how to feel about him. I made up excuses every time he tried to set up a date, and Marcella would shake her head at me disapprovingly, which intensified the guilt I was feeling. My feelings for Declan were so strong that the idea of hurting him seemed to hurt me too.

Still, I wasn’t sure what to do about the story. I had so many questions. Did Cassandra tell the truth? Was Declan really the type of man to force ...