Twisted Veil of Devotion

Part 19

STELLA POV

The next morning, guilt hit me the second I opened my eyes.

Light slipped through the curtains, soft and harmless, but it felt like it was exposing everything I had done. Zane was asleep beside me, relaxed, breathing evenly, his arm draped over my waist like we were something normal.

I stared at the ceiling, my chest tight.

I betrayed Ryan.

The thought sliced through me. Ryan, who had taken care of me, trained me, trusted me. The man I said I loved. And last night I had been in Zane's bed, in his arms, whispering I love you back to the same man who destroyed everything in the first place.

The same man who almost killed Ryan.

What is wrong with me?

I slid carefully out from under Zane's arm and got out of bed. The room felt too warm, too full, like the air itself was judging me. I grabbed the first thing I could wrap around myself and walked into the bathroom.

I turned the shower on as hot as it could go and stepped under the water, hoping the heat would numb something. It didn't. The guilt sat in my chest like a stone.

I pressed my back to the cold tile and slid down until I was sitting on the floor. Tears came before I could stop them. Everything twisted together inside me. Survival. Confusion. That strange, awful, dangerous softness when Zane looked at me like I was his entire world.

I wasn't supposed to feel that.

I was supposed to be playing a role, getting close enough to find a way out, not losing myself in him.

You slept with him. You let yourself forget.

I scrubbed my face with my hands, annoyed at the tears, annoyed at myself. Crying wasn't going to fix anything. I still had a job to do. I still had to get out of here. I still had to make this right, somehow, for Ryan.

The water beat down on my skin, but it didn't wash anything away.

The door opened behind me.

"Stella?"

Zane's voice was soft, careful. I froze. I hadn't even heard him get up.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

I turned slightly so the water hit my face, hiding the tear tracks just in case. "I'm fine," I said, and my voice sounded thin, but it was the best I could do.

Silence stretched out between us. I could feel him on the other side of the curtain.

"Can you pass me a towel?" I asked, trying to sound normal.

He hesitated, just for a second. "Of course."

I heard him move, then saw a hand hold the towel over the rod. I took it and killed the water, stalling for a moment before stepping out.

The second I did, Zane closed the distance. He didn't give me space. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, towel and all, like he needed to feel me breathe to calm down.

His lips brushed mine in a soft kiss that deepened when I didn't pull away.

For a heartbeat, it felt like last night all over again. Heat. Safety. The wrong kind of comfort.

When he finally pulled back, he searched my face, thumb sweeping a wet strand of hair from my cheek. There was no suspicion there. Just open affection that made my stomach twist.

"What do you want for breakfast?" he asked quietly.

Breakfast. Like we were any normal couple starting their morning.