Page 102 of Finn's Future

The words felt like gravel in my throat. It was the first time I’d talked to anyone about it in years.

“So, when the offer came,” I shrugged once, “I took it.”

“What offer?” she asked.

“A deal,” I said. “She needed citizenship. I needed a way out, and she offered to pay me. It was paperwork. Sign here, sign there, walk away.”

Kate studied my face. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. No big ceremony. No afterparty.”

She watched me like she was trying to find the lie. “Then why are you still married?” she asked.

I let out a short breath.

“Because I never got the chance not to be.”

Her brow furrowed, and she waited silently for me to continue.

“The night I was meant to meet up with Tamara to leave,” I said, voice dropping, “he pushed it too far.”

I didn’t glance away, neither did she.

“I’d taken it for years,” I went on. “Kept my head down. Stayed quiet. Told myself it was temporary.” My hands curled slightly at my sides. “That night . . . it wasn’t.”

Kate didn’t move or interrupt.

“I snapped,” I said simply. “I hit back. Properly. Didn’t stop when I should’ve.”

Her breath caught. It was quiet, but I heard it.

“I was gone before morning,” I added. “Not out the door. Not free.” My mouth twisted slightly. “Straight to a cell. So, the big escape plan? It didn’t happen.”

Kate’s voice was softer when she spoke again.

“And after?” she asked.

“After . . .” I huffed a dry laugh. “I went to the Dead Knights. That other life was done. Didn’t matter anymore. Didn’t want it.”

My attention held hers.

“Didn’t think about her. Didn’t think about the marriage. Didn’t think about any of it.”

Her lips parted slightly. “Until now,” she said.

“Until now,” I confirmed.

“You should’ve told me,” she said finally.

“I know.”

Her eyes moved over my face, something shifting warmer than the ice-cold glare she’d been giving me.

“You made me look like a fool. You don’t get to decide what matters to me,” she said.

“I’m not trying to,” I replied.

A beat passed.