Amira narrowed her eyes, her voice rising to a shrill, defensive peak. "I don't know what you're talking about! I am Amara! I thought you were a gentleman, Julian, but I see now you're just as stupid as Seb, no, worse! At least he never laid a hand on me!"
She wrenched her arm away, pointing a trembling finger at the door. "The engagement is off! Get out of my house! Do you hear me? This is my house!"
Julian's gaze dropped to her hands. The custom diamond ring he had placed on Amara's finger, the symbol of their quiet future, was gone. Her fingers were bare, save for the chipped nail polish from the night before.
He felt a wave of nausea. He wanted to shake the truth out of her, but he knew the law. Technically, she was in her family home, and he was the intruder. If he pushed too hard now, she would call the police, and his search for the real Amara would be delayed by a legal nightmare.
"Fine," Julian said, his voice dropping to a low, vibrating hum of anger. "I'll leave."
