When she pulled away from the kiss, Catarina noticed that Henri was crying too. Tears streamed silently down his face, mingling with the restrained smile he was trying to maintain. The sight of him, so sincere, so human, completely disarmed her.

It was as though, in a single instant, the entire past had been cast far away and forgotten.

“I never imagined I’d see you like this,” she said, watching the tears trail down his face.

Henri tried to hold them back, but his gaze remained vulnerable, str