His calm deserted him when it came to her. Every moment she was out of sight, he couldn't find peace.

Suddenly, Mitchel asked her, “Raegan, are you willing to be with me?"

These words seemed to carry a special kind of magic.

Tears filled Raegan's eyes as she listened. To be with him meant sharing both joys and sorrows. Yet, since his return, Mitchel had shouldered all the difficulties, protecting her from any distress.

How could she not keep falling for him, time and again?

Perhaps saying "falling for him time and again" wasn't quite accurate.

It was more that their hearts had always been connected.

A mix of pain and joy swelled in Raegan's chest. In a soft whisper, she began, “Actually...”

She finally revealed the truth. "My wedding with Stefan was a sham."

"I'm aware," Mitchel replied tenderly.

Raegan, taken aback, asked, “How did you know?"

“Erick told me," Mitchel replied.

Raegan was left speechless. She couldn't decide whether to call her brother a fool or a good helper. "So you've known about it all along? Then why didn't you..." she started, but then hesitated.

Seeing her pause, Mitchel asked, "Didn't what?"

Raegan's cheeks flushed, embarrassed to say it aloud. She meant to ask how he had kept his feelings hidden for so long. Then it struck her. Maybe his pretending not to know was a sign that he didn't care as much anymore.

A mix of annoyance and insecurity surged through Raegan. "Do you... Do you not feel the same about me anymore?”

Raegan was consumed by the sense of insecurity. Maybe his recent suggestion that they be together was just for the sake of their kids, to give them a complete family. Not because he still harbored feelings for her.

This thought terrified Raegan. What if Mitchel's feelings for her had indeed faded? In that case, she would keep her feelings hidden. She would love him, but she refused to love without self-respect as she once did.

Mitchel, however, grasped her hand and placed it over his heart.

"Listen to this. Does it seem like I'm indifferent?"