She turned her face away. "Excuses. Just the same old excuses men use to drink and womanize."
Ned let out a low, bitter chuckle. "Because I'm Edward James Harrington. My surname comes with this life attached—whether now or in the future, it's unavoidable. If you can't fit into it, you get eliminated. That's all there is to it."
"But—but—" Sophie struggled to find the words. "I don't understand it. I don't want to understand it. And I definitely don't want to accept it."
"You don't understand?" His voice dropped, heavy and low. "I thought you understood me better than anyone."
He looked at her steadily. "I'm the sole legitimate heir of the Harrington family. From the day I was born, I was never meant to be ordinary. Fate chose me, and I can't go against it."
