CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Make Her Mine!

HUGH’S POV:

The cool morning air pirouettes through the open balcony doors, carrying with it the earthy scent of nature and the distant murmur of the city below. I stand at the railing, my hands gripping the wrought iron as I gaze out into the clear sky. My mind is a vortex of frustration and confusion, my heart heavy with the weight of unanswered questions.

Anastasia's defiance lingers in my thoughts like an unwelcome specter. I couldn't fathom why she continues to reject me, where she gets the audacity to tell a ridiculous lie to avoid my advances. If she doesn’t feel the pull between us, why not simply say so? Why concoct elaborate tales better suited to children's bedtime stories? She’s an enigma, a puzzle I couldn't solve easily. It’s obvious she’s facing some difficulties, I could see the strain in her eyes, the tension in the set of her shoulders. But what those difficulties are, I couldn't say. If only she can be honest with me and tell me the truth, the real truth, then I’