"Catherine, stop crying…" Maximilian said softly. "You know I don't doubt you, don't you?"
It needed to be said. He had lost too much in his past life by keeping his feelings buried, allowing silence and misunderstandings to grow between them. He was not going to make that mistake again.
"I know," Catherine said, wiping away her tears. "Of course, I know, silly…" She looked at him, her eyes still wet. "I just… I'm overwhelmed. You're back. And it's finally settling in."
She had been so consumed with bringing down Dorian, with surviving everything that had happened and making sure Maximilian woke up, that she had barely allowed herself to think beyond the next moment.
But now…
Maximilian was awake.
He remembered everything.
He was back. Entirely.
And for the first time, Catherine could simply let herself feel it. "I'm glad you're back," she whispered.
"That made you cry?" Maximilian asked.
