The words floated between you, like a bitter echo of something that should never be spoken aloud. Ian stood there, his brow furrowed and his gaze evasivethe same man who had sworn love to you under the stage lights and in the shadows of a room. But now, his silence hurt more than any scream.

"You know this isn't right," he murmured, his voice hoarse not from singing, but from fear. "They would never accept it... I... I should be with a woman."

You laughed, but without humor. How could something you had always feared hurt this much? "Do you really believe that?"

His wild hair fell over his face, hiding what he truly felt. He didn’t answer. He didn’t dare.