“I remember you telling me everything went fine.” That conversation about the background check visit was vivid in her mind.

Hunter took a breath. “And it was, but then I got a visit from a completely different man.”

She felt her heart cracking into tiny pieces all over again, because deep in her gut, she knew where this might end. “What did this man say to you?”

“A lot of things, but the bottom line was that if I really loved you, I would break it off. That the country needed you more than I did, and that ultimately our relationship would be a liability not only to your career but to the Agency.”

She felt her mouth drop open. Had the CIA really tanked her relationship? “But why? Most recruits have relationships of some sort. I admit the success rates of CIA marriages aren’t the best, but still, it’s completely normal for CIA employees to get married.”

“You were what he described to me as an HVR.”

“HVR?”

“A high-value recruit. Only one percent of recruits fall into that category. You speak Arabic fluently, you know the Middle East like the back of your hand, and you have a first-rate academic pedigree. They literally saw you as a once-in-a-lifetime hire and were willing to do whatever it took to make sure you could succeed there unencumbered.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice cracked.

“He told me if I spoke a word of any of it to you, they’d cancel your conditional offer of employment, and he didn’t seem like the kind of guy to make idle threats.”

She sat in silence, holding tightly to his hands, because she didn’t know what else to do. Her entire world had been turned upside down. But the feeling that hit her the hardest was anger. Not at Hunter. No—it was at the CIA.

“They took everything from me.” Fresh tears started to flow down her cheeks.

Hunter pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her while she cried. She knew she’d never be the same.

Layla had stopped crying, but that didn’t make Hunter feel any better. He had wanted to hold her since the moment they’d parted years ago, but this wasn’t how he’d wanted it to unfold. Although he had to admit that it felt like five thousand pounds had been lifted from his shoulders. He’d never told a soul about any of this. Not even Elijah, who heard about everything else in Hunter’s life. This had been his dark secret to bear alone.

“You let everyone believe you were a cheater to try to protect me?” Layla looked up into his eyes.