Page 68 of Unexpected Heroine

Violet Anastasia Holt saying my name—my real name—is the sweetest song. She might as well have sung it in her enchanting voice for how much it affects me.

All I want to do is bask in the moment—even though I’m undeserving of a wonder like this. Afraid the slightest movement might shatter the euphoria, I don’t blink or breathe. I just freeze.

I never thought I’d hear her say my name.

Never thought my name could be worthy of passing through her delicate lips.

Before she spoke those two syllables, I’d already decided I wouldn’t leave her tonight. But now I couldn’t go even if I wanted to.

I’m tethered to her side. Not with shackles or chains but silken cords.

My name, spoken in her angelic voice, weaves itself around my wrists and ankles to anchor me in place—binding me to her.

Tonight, she’s seen more of me than I ever thought I could show her.

Not James.

Not some falsehood. Not a shield or a mask.

She sees me. Knows me. And speaks my name.

Not in anger or disdain. Not in disgust.

She speaks it like the simple act of saying it matters.

Like I matter.

Me.

Tomer.

Chapter 13

Where does that leave me?

LETTIE

“Say it again.”

His three-word response gives me absolute confirmation of his name. But that doesn’t mean I know who he is.

Not fully.

His name is only part of the puzzle. There’s more he’s hiding.

But for now, I can’t find it inside me to care. Especially with how he’s looking at me.

Relief, adoration, and agony have blended into one and etched themselves onto the lines of his face.

Longing to wipe away all the pain, I honor his request. “Tomer.”

A whisper of two syllables, and he’s looking at me like I’ve sung him a ballad for the ages.

He heaves a haggard exhale, but it’s not of stress or worry. Looking at him, you’d think that months of suffocation have given way to the purest oxygen filling his lungs.

Everything about his reaction is utterly heartbreaking.

Despite being devastated that he lied to me for so long, my heart wails in pain from the emotions emanating from this enigma of a man.

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