"I truly believed you were different," Damien said, his voice eerily level. "But everything you showed me was nothing more than a performance."
He let out a dry, mocking click of his tongue. "You claim to love your brother, yet behind his back you crawl into his father's bed."
Jacqueline's jaw tightened. She closed her eyes for a fleeting second and exhaled slowly, forcing the storm inside her to settle.
"Why are you so worked up?" she asked, a faint, deliberate smile curving her lips as she looked up at him through wide, luminous eyes. "Could it be that you're… interested in me?"
His teeth ground together, fury simmering beneath the surface. Her flawless composure her effortless act only fed his rage. He stepped closer, shrinking the space between them until barely an inch separated their bodies.
"You make me sick," he muttered, the words dripping with contempt.
Something inside her cracked, but the smile did not falter. His insult landed like a savage blow to her stomach.
