I could not tear my gaze away from his, searching those Osbidian depths for any hint of deception or guile. But all I saw reflected back at me was sincerity and...could it be tenderness?
A profound sense of confusion washed over me as I tried to reconcile this softer, more compassionate side of Karl with the harsh, brutal man who had tormented me since our wedding.
I instinctively pulled my hand back when he tried to grab it, needing to put some distance between us as the flashes of my suffering at his hands bombarded my mind.
The phantom pain of bruises long healed made my skin prickle uncomfortably.
"Karl, it's not that simple," I said, trembling faintly with repressed emotion. "What you put me through...the things you did to me...it's not something I can just forget or move past s
