Caspen sighed as if this was very difficult for him. “I love you.” His words should have been a soothing balm. Instead they were a cage—a trap that Tem would not fall for once again. “I know you do,” she said firmly. “And it does not help me.” She meant it. Nothing about Caspen’s feelings helped her—his love for her did not remedy her family’s reputation, his love for her did not solve her infatuation with Leo, his love for her did not ensure her future. Caspen’s love for her fixed exactly nothing, and Tem was utterly tired of that fact.
