Zane looked at his sister, his heart aching at the sight of her tear-stained face. He didn't see a woman who had made a mistake only; he saw the fractured pieces of the little girl he had tried so hard to protect.
He took a deep breath, steeling his own raging emotions, his mind racing through the thousands of lessons he wished he'd taught her sooner. Would it have made a difference?
"Olive, listen to me," he began, his voice dropping into a low tone that demanded her focus. "Womanhood isn't something that is validated by the attention of a man—especially not a man who treats your heart like a pit stop."
A pause. "You've spent five years conditioning your soul to crave Noah like he's the oxygen you need to breathe. But he isn't oxygen, Olive. He's carbon monoxide. He's silent, he's invisible, and he's been slowly killing the person you were meant to be."
