Jane rose to her feet, her heart pounding in her chest. The realization hit her hard, this man, the one she'd thought might be her future, truly had no intention of marrying her. Worse, the idea of not marrying her seemed to fill him with a quiet joy.
The flood of emotion was too much for her to hold back. Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to keep her composure. Shoulders trembling, she slowly made her way toward the door, each step a battle to suppress the wave of hurt and frustration surging within her.
But just as her hand reached for the door, strong arms encircled her from behind, pulling her into a warm embrace.
"I was just joking," came the soft voice in her ear. "Why are you crying?"