"How? When? We barely even spent time together in the year I have been here! So when?" Belle exclaimed, startled, her voice tinged with disbelief. She wracked her brain, trying to piece together when Hezekiah could have possibly developed feelings for her. From what she remembered, they had only spoken twice, both times strictly about her coronation. There had been no personal conversations, no shared moments of intimacy. How had he fallen for her so quickly?
"It didn't start when you came to the castle," he admitted, releasing her from his hold. "It started long before that."
She scoffed, her frustration boiling over. "And you didn't think to tell me before I signed the contract?" She demanded, hands dropping to her waist in exasperation. She had trusted him, convinced that their arrangement was purely transactional. Now she felt blindsided.
