I was being schooled by a man years my senior. Why did that bother me when I was content to let Greaves batter me?
Because he was my wife’sfather.He knew I hurt her, though I couldn’t imagine how.
“My past was buried. Forgotten,” I rasped, each word gravel on my tongue. “Youdug it up.”
“Buried, yes. Forgotten?” He gave a small shake of his head. “You might not be new to a union. But marriage isn’t about rule—it’s about surrender. It’s a single soul, split and shared.”
My grip tightened on the sword’s hilt, knuckles whitening with the effort. “She doesn’t need to know.”
“You’re right,” he said, softer this time. “Butyouneed her to.”
My gaze fell to the floor. No one deserved to carry it, to relive those horrors. To voice it aloud would only stir the rot, drag the past into the open where it could fester in daylight. Yet if I left it buried, would it be any better?
Was he right? Would her knowing help anything? Or would she believe me weak for my flinches, my craving for control?
Would she regret her marriage to a weak king?
“Ready yourself!”
Nereus rushed me again. Steel collided, the blow jarring straight through my arms and into my ribs, which flared with pain.
“Show me your light!” he roared, eyes blazing with fury.
Elohios.Honesty. Truth.
Who was I lying to?
Not her.
Myself.
Brightness flickered in my veins—weak, unsure, barely rising.
This wound was mine, no one else’s. But if I left her in the dark, if I allowed her to believe her love had somehow broken me, if she bore guilt for something she never caused…
Forgive me.
Radiance burst from within, lacing my skin with gold. Cracks split across my arms like veins carved in fire. Nereus cursed, lifting a hand to shield his eyes as the brilliance blinded him.
I stood in the glow. My chest heaved. My sword hung loose at my side.
I could carry the burden of my past. I had before.
But Nienna did not deserve to suffer for my actions.
She was my partner, not a crutch. Two halves of a single soul—we rose or fell together. And I had no right to guard a wound she had already reached for with gentle hands and open truth.
“I’m done,” I said, the words raw.
I turned from the fight, dragging my aching body to the rack and placing my sword back into its cradle. Behind me, Nereus didn’t follow. He watched in silence, unreadable, as if measuring the shape of something that had finally cracked open.
Each step stung. Bruised ribs. Tight breath. But those wounds would heal.
The one beneath? That aching, blistered gash in my soul?
Only she could mend that.
Chapter Thirty-Two
