The rain came without warning. Not a gentle drizzle but a violent downpour, the kind that hammered against the stone courtyard like fists against a door. It drenched me completely within seconds, plastering my hair to my face, soaking through my dress until the fabric clung to my skin like a second layer of grief. My phone buzzed again and again. Jane's messages. I ignored them all.
At that moment, standing alone in the rain outside the house of people who despised me, I felt profoundly, achingly stupid for ever having fallen in love with such a heartless man. And I was embarrassed. Not for them. For myself. Because what would I even say to my parents? How could I go home to the Valducci Fortress and face my mother's eyes, my father's silence, my brothers' vindicated fury?
Would they even accept me back?
The warmth came suddenly. Xavier's arms wrapped around me from behind, pulling me against his chest. He was soaked through as well, his white shirt transparent against his skin, and I could feel his heart hammering against my shoulder blade. He pulled me under the narrow awning of the garden shed, shielding us both from the worst of the downpour.