At that moment Valentina squeezed her eyes shut, her body frozen at first, but then slowly, she lifted her arms and hugged him back.
Tears welled up in her eyes, blurring everything, she didn't deserve this.
Not his forgiveness, not his warmth, not after how badly she had misjudged things.
And yet, he was here — holding her even when he had every right to push her away.
After a long moment, Raymond's voice finally broke the heavy silence, It was low. Broken. Sad.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered, his words trembling against her hair.
"I'm so sorry, Valentina."
She stiffened slightly, confused, but he only tightened his hold around her.
"I'm sorry for what you went through," he murmured, his voice so soft it was almost lost in the air between them.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there fast enough."
He pulled back just a little, just enough so he could cup her face gently in his hands.
His eyes — those deep, usually unreadable eyes — were filled with something she hadn't seen for some time.
