Chapter 98

[Cordelia]

Atlas sits very still, his hands splayed out, his face open with surprise. I use his shock as an opportunity to move myself out of his grasp, just in case he decides to use his body to change the subject. Every nerve in my body is on fire as the blood rushes into places that make me swoon, but I can’t give in to my physical impulses.

I need answers, not distractions.

"I'm not," he says plainly without inflection, clearly stunned by the question. "I never have."

Now I'm the one sitting up suddenly in shock. "But you dated for almost a year before..."

"She wanted to wait until after the wedding," he shrugs. "I didn't want to rush her."

"But now things are different," I persist. "She told me that you were proving your love for her and..."

"But I don't love her," he replies. Leaning forward he reaches for my hand. "To be honest, I'm not sure I ever did. It was always one-sided. I had so much affection for her, that I didn't notice how little she had for me. Even now, she seems