Page 156 of Split or Swallow

Tem felt a chill go down her spine. She looked up at Leo. His eyes held nothing but hurt.

“You loved her,” Tem whispered.

“Yes,” he whispered back, his voice nearly breaking. “I certainly did.”

Leo spoke with such finality that a small part of her soul was wounded by his words.

Tem tried to imagine Leo in love, Leo happy, Leo with Evelyn. The same knife of jealousy that had pierced her earlier twisted again in her now. You don’t care about him, she reminded herself. This is all for show. Yet even as she thought it, Tem knew it wasn’t true. She cared now, whether she wanted to or not.

Leo dropped her hand. He continued quietly:

“The morning we were meant to leave, she didn’t show up. Eventually I figured she had changed her mind, and I left.”

Tem stared at the carving on the tree. Just those two letters—nothing else. She knew if she waited, Leo would elaborate. Still, the silence stretched on for minutes before he finally said:

“I had my servants ask around about her. But she was gone.”

“Where did she go?”

He shook his head.

“I don’t know,” Leo paused, and his next words were a broken whisper: “I…still come here most mornings. Just in case.”

He fell silent, and this time Tem let the silence sit, wondering if she’d ever seen Evelyn at school. She’d never been particularly concerned with anyone in the grade above her; Tem’s schooldays had been spent simply trying to survive. Perhaps Gabriel had known her—the village was small—it was entirely possible. But if Evelyn had gone away, there was no telling where she could be now.

Tem took a moment to consider what this part of Leo’s past meant for their future. If he was still in love with Evelyn, his heart was closed off—not just to Tem, but to anyone. The elimination process was pointless if he wasn’t ready to fall in love again.

She thought about how Leo had been drawn to her from the very beginning—how he seemed to revel in the way their courtship got under his father’s skin. What was the point in telling Tem about Evelyn if all it did was show her that Leo wasn’t available—that he was using her? Was Tem just a placeholder—somewhere for the prince to store his pain while he worked through his grief? Did she even have a right to be angry if that were indeed the case?

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked softly.

Leo sighed.

“Because you asked me to impress you. And the only thing that seems to impress you is honesty. So I’m trying to be truthful about my past.”

He paused, meeting her eye.

“If it was a mistake, I pray you’ll forgive me. But I want you to know who I am.”

“It wasn’t a mistake.”

Tem didn’t think twice before the words left her mouth. She meant them.

Leo nodded.

“I’m glad.”

Tem stared up at him, every bone in her body wishing things were different. She wished they had more time to get to know one another—that perhaps she might reveal herself to him in the same way he had just revealed himself to her. Leo was being honest and open—something Caspen couldn’t seem to accomplish. Before she could decide how to move forward, Leo said:

“You don’t trust me, do you, Tem?”

She could only tell him the truth.

“Not really.”

Leo nodded, as if her answer didn’t surprise him.

“What can I do to change that?” he asked quietly.