24

Arabella even looked for signs of sarcasm, which was Damon's trademark, but found none. He was serious. And in that moment, she forgot about her marriage, about Mason, and about her mother-in-law. The impact of the moment spoke louder.

"Life hasn't been easy for me. I made bad choices because I did not have options. I took care of people who did not deserve it, and God knows how I was stabbed..." Arabella confided.

"A toast to broken hearts," Damon raised his glass symbolically.

"You do not even have a heart," she joked, trying to make the moment less personal.

"Oh... I do, and you just hurt it."

Whether the woman liked it or not, the relationship with Damon could never be intimate. Involving their bodies would be appropriate, perhaps even inevitable. But their hearts had to be preserved. There was no safe way for them to relate.

"Tell me about you. I swear I won't publish an article about your cat's ancestors," Arabella requested.

Damon smiled before replying, and the beautiful woman