Khizar’s heart began to ache as he confessed what he’d done. He had made a mess of courting Jacqui, had gotten close to her for all the wrong reasons. But he wanted to make that right, and talking to his parents was the first step.

He told them the whole story, as well as why he had originally proposed, and was about to explain that he’d since realized Jacqui meant more to him than the Bauer Diamond ever could. He was nervous about admitting his love for Jacqui, but he was certain that he had fallen for her for real.

There was a commotion near the door, and Khizar heard a waiter ask someone if they were okay. He jerked his head up and saw Jacqui’s head disappear out the door. Concerned, he left his parents at the table and caught up with the waiter, who would only tell him that the young woman had been distraught.

Khizar looked back at the table. Her path back from the restroom would have put her around that corner. It only took him a moment to surmise what had happened; she must have overheard him telling his parents about his false proposal.

If the ground had opened up and swallowed him, Khizar would have welcomed it. It was no less than he deserved.

But Jacqui deserved better. A reason, if nothing else. Khizar dashed out the door.

He didn’t see her outside, so asked the valet at the front door if he’d seen a crying woman leave. The valet pointed down the street, and Khizar took off.

He ran down the street, dodged other pedestrians, and looked for a glimpse of Jacqui. She didn’t know her way around, and if she wasn’t paying attention, she might have gone anywhere.

Khizar doubled back after going down one street. Maybe she stopped somewhere to catch her breath, he thought. When he looked up, he saw the entrance to the botanical gardens across the street.

She must be in there, he thought. He didn’t dare think otherwise.

Khizar knew these gardens like he knew his parents’ palace. He’d spent so much time here as a child, and their layout hadn’t changed over the years. It didn’t matter how much time he spent away. He could walk through the paths blindfolded and not get lost.

The path wound around different sections and through the trees. The gardens were quiet at that time of night, though a few people were strolling through well-lit parts. Khizar followed the path to an area that wasn’t as well-traveled; it was likely that Jacqui sought solitude.

There was a small pond ahead of him, with benches around the edge of the water. Khizar’s pace slowed as he got closer to the pond, seeing a figure sitting alone on one of the benches.

All he could tell was that she was curled in on herself, head resting in her hands. It was quiet here, just the slight rustle of leaves in the night breeze. And the sound of the woman he loved softly crying.

He’d broken her heart.

Khizar acknowledged that his plan all along had been to break her heart. He’d kept himself out of reach, untouchable, in order to execute his plan. He had consoled himself with the idea that he would leave her better off than before, financially secure and with more freedom than she’d ever had.

He hadn’t planned on falling in love with her.

Khizar made his way to the bench. He didn’t sit, but instead softly cleared his throat. Her head jerked up and he almost flinched at how despondent she looked.

“May I sit?” he asked.

Jacqui stared at him. “I don’t think I want to talk to you right now.”

“I understand. I don’t particularly want to talk to myself right now, because I feel like a terrible person.”

“That might be because you are a terrible person.”

He acknowledged the hit with a nod of his head.

“I am. What I did was wrong and horrible. I am deeply sorry.”

“Why are you here?”

“Because I want to make sure you’re okay.”

The look she gave him could have flayed skin and he raised a hand, palm out, to ask for her forbearance.

“I mean, I want to make sure that you’re safe and know how to get back to the apartment. I’m not leaving you out here on your own.”

Jacqui nodded. “Fine. I’ll find my own way out to the mine tomorrow, and then I’m leaving.”

“I’ll put you in touch with someone else who can take you to the mine, and then I’ll arrange for my plane to fly you home.”

“That won’t be necessary. I can manage.”

“Jacqui, I brought you here. The least I can do is help you find what Bill left for you and get you safely home.”

She turned to him, still furious.

“Why did you bring me here at all? You could have just told me you knew I had a great-uncle, and that you wanted his diamond. I would have helped you. You didn’t have to take me on fancy dates, and to Hawaii.”

All he could do was shrug helplessly. It was a weak reaction and he knew it.

“I know. At least, I figured it out after I met you. But by then, I wanted to do those things. They made you happy, and I liked making you happy.”

“You didn’t have to propose.”

“I thought I did. I had a plan, and it was stupid, thoughtless and, yes, unnecessary. I didn’t give you a chance to help me outright. I didn’t trust you.”

The look she gave him told Khizar exactly what she thought of that statement.

“And I haven’t given you reason to trust me right now, I know. But I am telling you the truth—I am sorry I didn’t trust you before.”

“Why?”

Khizar gingerly sat next to her on the bench, heartened by the fact that she allowed him to sit down. He took a second to gather his thoughts.

“I don’t trust anyone.”

“Well, that’s a terrible way to live.”

He bit off a bitter laugh.

“How can you trust people? You’ve lost so much in your life. How can you believe anyone when they tell you it’s going to be okay?”

Jacqui shook her head. “Because I have to trust someone. Myself first, then the people I love. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

“The point is that the people you love lie to you.”

She stared at him. “What happened to you?”

Khizar hadn’t meant to say that, to open himself up even a crack. He leaned his head back, trying to find a way around baring his soul. There was none, not if he wanted her to understand.

But it was hard, maybe too hard, so he started with a story instead.

“I grew up playing in these gardens. Climbing the trees, swimming in that pond,” he nodded toward the water, “which was completely forbidden, by the way. I spent hours here playing hide and seek, and when I was older, reading and doing schoolwork. For a large part of my childhood, it felt like I lived in these gardens.

“One day, some older boys from my school were playing here, too. I wanted to play with them, but they wouldn’t let me. I don’t even remember what it was, now, but at the time I was so crushed. They were cruel, though.

“What I do remember, is my older brother wading into the middle of those boys. He yelled at them for being unkind. He chased them off, and then he told me it didn’t matter if the older kids didn’t want to play with us, because we’d always have each other.”

Khizar had to stop, before the moment overwhelmed him. Jacqui must have heard it in his voice, because her next question hit home.

“When did you lose him?”

Of course, she would know. Those who felt this kind of grief recognized kindred spirits.

“I was ten. He was fourteen. He was sick for two years, in and out of hospitals. His diagnosis came three months after he promised me we’d always have each other.

“I believed him right up to the moment he died. I believed my parents when they told me it would be okay, that he had the best doctors and hospitals.

“My parents were devastated, of course. I don’t think they saw that I closed myself off to everyone after my brother’s death. It took me years to understand that they hadn’t lied to me—they’d really believed he would be cured.

“And that was its own sort of betrayal. My parents knew everything. They were smart and good and loyal. If they could be wrong about something so important, then they could be wrong about everything. I don’t think I’ve believed in anything—or anyone—since then.”

As soon as he said it, Khizar realized that it wasn’t true anymore. So, he took a chance and added what he truly felt.

“At least, I hadn’t, until I met you.”

He met her eyes, and saw that she wasn’t furious anymore. Her expression had softened and was more understanding. Khizar comprehended now what he’d been missing all along: he never had a chance of being happy without opening up and trusting someone.

But before he had another chance at being happy, he needed to admit that he’d messed up.

“I am so sorry for hurting you, Jacqui. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I knew Bill Bauer, and that you were related to him. I’m sorry I made such a hash of our relationship.

“For what it’s worth, once I met you, I really did want to make you happy. And I wanted to protect you, or at least help to make your life a little better. I may have started out with a plan, but somewhere along the way, once I got to know you, my plan stopped being important.”

He lifted one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. “I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I would like to help you finish what we started by finding out what Bill left for you.”

Khizar sat still as Jacqui watched him. He knew the next few minutes would determine his future, and although he didn’t deserve her mercy, he hoped.