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She ached. Everywhere.

“Apologies,” he muttered but obviously did not sound like he meant it.

Agnes only scoffed and wondered how far his lips were to hers.

If she leaned up, would they touch? If she kissed him, would he kiss her back? Push her away?

She wasn’t sure.

He groaned softly, and then she heard his footsteps.

Her heart panged in disappointment when she realized he had taken steps away from her as if he was trying to ignore the sexual tension between them.

“What do you want, Agnes?” he asked his tone tired.

Agnes bit harder on her lip to stop her tears from falling. “I need you to give me a chance, to explain…” she whispered, and Matthew snorted.

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

Agnes shook her head. “Not here. Somewhere else, tonight.”

“I’m not sure I want to meet you somewhere else, Miss Agnes,” he said in a bitter voice.

Miss Agnes. It sounded so… cold. So distant.

In the darkened room, the tension swirled, from lust, to fear, to anger, to sadness, a tinge of animosity and something else that Agnes was scared to name.

Agnes tried again. She knew Matthew had every right to be angry with her. “Matthew, please, we need to talk.”

Matthew swore under his breath again. It was as if he was fighting hard to not lose control. “Talk? Remember the last time we talked, Agnes? It didn’t do us much good last time, did it?”

If she did not try harder, her tears would fall. “Last time… it was a mistake. I never meant to hurt you.”

“You tore my heart out, Agnes. I am not sure I’ve got another to spare.”

Agnes took a step forward, hoping to be able to reach him. She didn’t. “This is different. I need to make things right. Please, Matthew.”

“What could you possibly need now that you didn’t before?” His voice held a reluctant curiosity.

“Closure. Understanding. Forgiveness.” Anything.Him.

She needed him back.

Matthew said, with a trace of bitterness in his voice, “I’m not sure, Agnes.”

“Tonight, Matthew, I need to do something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

Please…

She wished she could see his facial expressions, anything to help her know what ran through his mind.

Matthew sounded wary. “And why should I believe you now?”

“Because deep down, you want to know what I have to say tonight, Your Grace.”

“Prove it, then. Show me this isn’t just another game.”

“Meet me later, and I’ll show you, Matthew.”