Page 139 of King of Pride

After a moment, he stepped closer.

“Rose...” His voice had lost its anger. “You and I were in love. We still love each other.”

He swallowed hard.

“Couldn't you have just looked past that one slap? It was a mistake. I've told you that over and over again. It happened in the heat of the moment. I didn't hit you because I wanted to hurt you. I didn't—”

His voice faltered.

He lowered his gaze, guilt weighing heavily on his face as his chest rose and fell with uneven breaths.

Rose shook her head before he could finish.

“Ivan, you don't understand. If Maverick hadn't come into my life, I still wouldn't have married you.”

She held his gaze, her voice calm but firm.

“Don't you see how many times you've disappointed me? That slap wasn't the only reason I walked away. It was simply the final straw—the one thing that finally gave me the courage to leave. If Maverick hadn't been in my life, it would've been someone else. It still wouldn't have been you.”

Ivan stared at her, his expression crumbling.

“I will never marry someone who doesn't truly want me,” she continued. “And I will never marry someone who is still in love with another woman.”

“I'm not in love with another woman!”

Ivan's voice rose immediately. He stepped toward her, anger and grief colliding in his eyes.

“I'm in love with you, Rose!”

Rose didn't flinch.

“And you're only realizing that now, after I've already ended our relationship?”

Her voice remained painfully calm.

“It's too late, Ivan.”

The words hit him harder than any shout could have.

His face fell, disappointment and heartbreak flashing across his features before anger slowly swallowed them again. He swallowed hard, forcing down whatever pride remained, then turned away from her.

He started toward the door.

But just before he crossed the living room, he stopped.

He didn't turn around.

Rose watched his back, noticing how tightly his hands were clenched at his sides, as though he were struggling to hold himself together.

“Rose,” he said quietly.

She lifted her head.

His voice cracked slightly.

“I'm sorry.”

He took a slow breath.