“Basically, you had a crush on me,” I summarize, my voice raspy. After several heartbeats, he nods. “I suppose so. It wasn’t . . . sexual. Not at the start. But then . . .” He bites the inside of his cheek, bashful. “I liked you a lot. As a person. As a woman. 81You were beautiful. And whenever we were close, despite the fact that violence was involved, you felt . . . good.” I wonder if I’m imagining it, the slight flush dusting his cheeks. “I don’t know you well, Aethelthryth, but I know you better than you do me. And yesterday morning, even after I woke up and couldn’t remember anything,
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