At that moment Zane exhaled slowly and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Emma—"
But she shook her head and cut him off. "No. Please. Just let me say this. I'm really, really sorry. If anything happens to you, I won't forgive myself. I pushed you into this mess. If I had just listened… if I hadn't been so stubborn…"
Then her voice cracked, and Zane's smile slowly faded as he saw her lips tremble. She wasn't just worried—she was breaking under guilt.
"I should have left that store. I should have just let it go. If I hadn't tried to stay in that store—if I had just left it and let him have it—none of this would have happened."
At that moment Emma looked down at her hands, her fingers twisted tightly in front of her. Her breath trembled. She wasn't just scared—she was unraveling under the weight of everything.
"It's because of me," she whispered again, but her tone was firmer this time, almost like she was trying to accept the truth out loud. "My own stubbornness."
