Painful

-Corrine-

Immediately after I posed that question, I regretted it.

I shouldn’t have cared about Leana and her spiteful mouth. I should have kept that one thing a secret, or better yet, treated it as a lie and then forgotten about it.

My hands were clenched in my lap. Fear gripped me.

Time stretched long between my question and Andrew’s answer.

“Know that I love you,” he said. His gaze was sorrowful. “I know we’ve just met. There’s not much you know about me, but I love you, Corrine.”

“So—“ I swallowed hard. “—is it true?”

The world seemed to turn upside down as Andrew said, “Yes.”

I couldn’t contain my shock. My body trembled, and my chest tightened. “No—“

Before I could move or do anything I might regret later, Andrew held me in place. He grasped both of my hands, placing them on my lap. His eyes locked onto mine.

“Corrine, please, listen to me.”

“I can’t—“

“I don’t want to blame you, but you asked for honesty from me... and I’m giving it to you. Now please listen to my explanation,