Twin tears splattered on Jaya’s cheeks and ran down her face. “I came here with the intention of breaking your heart,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “I was told a male Emerson heir was behind the leaked pictures of Isha; I thought that meant you. When I learned that you attended St. Rosetta’s, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to get back at your family.” Grey’s heart squeezed in his chest as if a vengeful fist were bent on reducing it to pulp. So it was true. Everything Kiran had said was true. Jaya paused. “How did… how did Kiran find out about you and me? Was it Caterina?”

Grey shook his head. “Alaric. That asshole was laughing at me every time he saw us together, wasn’t he?” He watched disbelief and anger cloud Jaya’s eyes, but he kept going before she could respond. He was asking the questions right now. Bracing himself, he said, “And it’s true that this engagement between you and Kiran has been in the works for years?”

Something flitted across her face. Shock? Confusion? Anger? Then it was gone, and her face was back to being a blank mask, though rivers of tears ran down her cheeks. Her voice shaking, she said, “Yes.”

He felt like someone had hit him with a concrete pole, right in the chest. He almost doubled over, panting in agony. She was almost engaged. The entire time, she was almost engaged. And he was the biggest fool in the world.

He nodded at her, once. “I see.” He was surprised by how calm, how in control, he sounded. “Goodbye, Jaya.”

Sidestepping her, he walked briskly away, cutting a path right through the piles of snow. He didn’t look back once.

Jaya

Jaya stumbled off at some point. Her entire body—actually, even her soul—felt completely, thoroughly dead. Kiran had lied to Grey. He’d made it seem like he and Jaya were laughing at Grey behind his back. She felt a brief jolt of anger, at the fact that he’d called Grey, that he’d tried to hurt him, that he’d lied. She’d told him to leave Grey alone and he’d completely flouted her wishes. But how could she ignore her own hand in this? If she hadn’t lied, if she hadn’t set up the house of cards for Kiran to knock over, they wouldn’t be in this situation at all. Jaya’s anger seeped out of her. Maybe this is for the best, she told herself. Grey can let you go now. He can go on with his life. This is all for the best. Perhaps Kiran had done her a favor.