“No.” Dena stood, then had to steady herself on the nightstand. “No,” she repeated more loudly, telling herself to stop shaking. “We haven’t spoken in a couple of days. I’m just surprised.”

They both eyed her suspiciously.

“Do you want me to tell him to leave?” her mother asked.

“No. I’ll talk to him.” She faked a smile. “He’s back. That’s good, right?”

She darted out of the room before either of them could answer. At the top of the stairs, she paused, knowing she had to give herself a second to catch her breath and figure out what was happening.

Micah was here? But why? He didn’t have to come back. They’d packed up his stuff, and Dena was going to run it over to the shipping store later that afternoon. After Electra’s visit, there was nothing to say.

She drew in a breath. Maybe he wanted to apologize for what had happened. Maybe he wanted to ease his conscience or somehow try to make her think he wasn’t the bad guy. She didn’t think he’d come all this way to break her heart in person. She refused to believe Micah was that horrible. Of course, she’d been wrong about him in so many ways. Maybe she was wrong about that, too.

“The sooner I deal with this, the sooner I can get over him,” she murmured quietly before starting down the stairs.

She found him standing in the middle of the family room. The second she saw him, the waves of pain became a tsunami. She wanted to rush into his arms and have him tell her everything would be fine. She wanted to see him smile and hear his laugh and know that it was all just a big misunderstanding. But that wasn’t going to happen because everything he’d said or done was a lie. He’d been using her—maybe for entertainment, maybe for sport. She wasn’t sure the reason mattered. All she knew for sure was, next time she would be a little more cynical, a little less willing to trust. A painful legacy from the man she’d fallen in love with.

“Dena!” He started toward her, then stopped and swore. “I’m sorry. She hurt you. No, I hurt you. I can see it in your eyes. Why didn’t you call me and—” He shook his head. “Dumb question. You wouldn’t do that. Please tell me what she said.”

He wasn’t making any sense. “You don’t need me to tell you. You’re living it.”

His gaze was steady. Concerned. “I’m here with you, not wherever with her. Please tell me so I know what happened.”