Selena didn''t need his gift. Just hearing the word "gift"e out of his mouth made her feel sick to her stomach. He''d never understand the sting in her heart when she saw Yasmine unting that pink diamond ne back in Paris, with snowkes swirling all around. How could he keep turning her into a joke over and over again?


    Everett seemed to catch on to her thoughts, his voice deepening as he spoke, "Selena, you''re going to like this gift." Without allowing her to protest, he ushered her back to the master bedroom.


    Shutting the door, he faced her, noting how her expression was as frosty as a winter morning. Slowly, he began, "These past few days, I wasn''t staying away on purpose. I went to Germany."


    There were certainly things he could have left to others to sort out, and they would have done it quickly and thoroughly. But this was different. This time, he wanted to see it through himself. He wanted to walk the path Selena had walked, to feel the pain she''d once felt.


    This confession caught Selena by surprise. She looked at him, eyebrows raised, "What were you doing in Germany?"


    He dragged a hand down his face, swallowing hard before he finally managed to say, "During those three years in Germany, you were being treated for depression. Why didn''t you tell me?"


    ine had handed him her medical records. The Selena he knew was always so full of life, so strong, someone who would never be defeated. It never crossed his mind that she would battle something like depression.


    Selena was taken aback, but then again, not really. ine had hinted during their call that there might be some good news soon. So that''s what he meant. Everett hadn''t taken the usual path; he went straight for the heart.


    Snapping back to reality, Selena gave a small, sarcastic smile. "And if I had told you? Would you have finally let me be?"


    To someone who doesn''t love you, even the way you breathe is wrong. What would it change to tell him? He might even think she was just looking for pity.


    Her casual demeanor hit Everett like a sledgehammer. He''d always thought empathy was just a fairy tale, but now he realized how real it could be. He was hurting, deeply.


    He had gone to her therapist in Germany, asking about every little detail. When she first arrived in


    Germany, she struggled to sleepet


    tormented by nightmares, relying on sleeping pills to get any rest. At her worst, she had even thought about ending it all.


    But sleeping pills were no long-term fix; too harmful. Luckily, she had Mateo, her son, a beacon of hope. For him, she pushed herself to heal, no matter how hard it was. She shut out everything about Everett, focusing solely on raising Mateo and finding some semnce of peace.


    Eventually, time helped her through the worst of it, and her condition slowly steadied.


    And him? He knew nothing.


    When they crossed paths again, he was bitter, believing she''d abandoned him and their child to be with another man. He threatened and pressured her, even took their child away, forcing her back into his life. Suddenly, Everett moved forward, pulling her into an embrace so tight it was as if he was trying to make her part of him. "Selena, I''m so sorry."


    He pressed a kiss to her ear, his


    voice choked with regret. "It''s all my fault. All this time, I''ve only med you, never thinking about how you


    felt. You have every right to be angry. I really am a fool..."