---- 20 With tears streaming down my face, I stared at Sebastian's earnest expression. My voice was barely a whisper. "What you just said-is it all true?" Sebastian's eyes never left mine as he nodded slowly. "Every word. I started loving you many, many years ago." He took a deep breath, as if preparing to bare his soul completely. "That summer, I was twenty-two. You were my nephew's combat training instructor." I felt my breath catch. A distant memory flickered at the edge of my consciousness. "Before you came along, my nephew had driven away five previous teachers," Sebastian continued, a slight smile touching his lips. "He was impossible. Spoiled, arrogant, refused to ---- listen to anyone." "But with you..." Sebastian's voice grew soft with memory. "With you, everything changed. He adored you. Wouldn't let anyone say a single negative word about his instructor." My heart began to race as pieces of a forgotten puzzle started falling into place. "IT became curious," Sebastian admitted. ''What kind of woman could tame that little beast? So I started watching from the shadows." He paused, his eyes growing distant. "Just one glance, and I was completely lost." The way he said it made my chest tighten with emotion. "At twenty-two, I was certain you were the mate the Moon Goddess had chosen for me," Sebastian said, his voice filled with wonder even now. "T finally understood what people meant when they talked about love at first sight." ---- I could see him reliving that moment, the memory still powerful enough to make his hands tremble slightly. "You weren't just beautiful," he continued, his voice growing husky. "You radiated this incredible freedom and brilliance. Everything I, as the next leader of the Cross family, had never been allowed to have." "What do you mean?" I asked softly. Sebastian's smile was bittersweet. ''I was raised to be perfect. Controlled. Always thinking about duty and responsibility. But you..." He looked at me with such tenderness it took my breath away. "you were wild and free. You laughed without restraint. You fought like a warrior and smiled like sunshine. I'd never seen anything so beautiful in my life." I felt tears welling up again. "Sebastian..." "T began living for those afternoons," he said."