Raylen laughs again. This time, his emerald eyes are twinkling with mirth and affection. "Darling, you have such a way with words."
"I know I do," Livia replies playfully. For a brief moment, their dynamic is like how it once was.
She notices him raising his hand—probably to ruffle her hair—before letting it fall again.
'Why,' she wonders, 'did you stop yourself?' And then she feels her cheeks heating up as she tries to deny her desire even to herself.
Truth to be told, she does miss and mourn their former relationship even if she knows better than anyone that they cannot return to it.
She is not generous enough to overlook his adultery and share him with other women. And she has a sneaking suspicion that he cannot respect any woman who can bring herself to forgive him for such a betrayal either.
