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Abena shrugged. “I did not know speaking the truth was picking a fight!”
“I will crush you, little bug!” Hathor snapped, rising to fight Abena despite our mother’s warnings. Before the war could ensue, my father entered the room.
“Well?” my mother asked before I could.
My father took a deep breath, and then shook his head. “I thought long and hard on it, but I cannot accept him.”
It was as if he had slapped me. I could only stare, stunned. Had all my words been for naught? Did he not already promise me?
“He has left,” Hathor said to me.
And I spun around to see him exit the gate without a single glance back at me.
“Papa,” I gasped, now turning my body to him. “What—”
“What have you done?” my mother screamed at the top ofher lungs. “Charles! What have you done? Call him back this instant, or I shall never speak to you again! How could you? I—”
I stopped listening as I felt everything fall to ruin once more. I could not believe he would do this to me. Before I could say a word, there was a hard pinch on my arm. I turned to see Hathor smirking at me.
“He is in the garden, waiting,” she whispered.
I did not understand until I saw my father’s amused expression as my mother paced in front of him, ranting angrily. When he caught my eye, he winked.
Oh…they were terrible.
“Well, are you going or not?” Hathor asked.
“I shall get you for this,” I whispered to her. As my mother went on, I made my escape, turning left in the hall before going down the stairs and out the double doors into the gardens. And there he was, standing beside the row of juniper trees.
“You have colluded with my father?”
He turned to me, grinning. “Forgive me. It was his request, and I saw fit not to go against him in anything and risk my chance. Were you dismayed?”
“Not at all,” I lied, placing my hands behind my back as I walked to him. “I saw through your little game immediately.”
“I see.” He looked me over carefully. “Then I shall not withhold this part any longer.”
I stepped closer, and he opened his mouth, but not a word came out. Instead, he just laughed gently.
“What is it?”
“Everything,” he replied, lifting his head to meet mine. “I stand before you, Aphrodite, full of everything, from nerves to hopes, to the greatest of happiness, and most of all, the deepest of love. I have long loved you to a degree and passion that nearly drives me mad. The sight of you is like the sun, and the last four years without you left me in a dark abyss. I thought I would never escape it, and then you rose again in my life. And now I know that as birds need the sky and fish the water, I need you. I could not know any other honor than to be called your husband—if you shall have me? If you will be my wife?”
I inhaled as if I had been underwater for the longest time and could only now fill my lungs with air. My eyes stung from the tears, the grin spread across my face, and I wished to speak, but the lump in my throat would not let me. I could only nod.
“Truly?” the silly man asked.
“Yes,” the word squeaked out. “Yes, I shall be your wife.”
He exhaled and laughed. Taking my hands into his, he brought them to his lips and kissed both knuckles. “Then let us finally wed.”
“Yes.” Now that was the only word I knew to say.
We stared at each other, our faces so close that we surely would have kissed had it not been for the small giggle I heard behind me.
I turned to see Devana putting her hand over Abena’s mouth. But Abena pulled away and said, “So, is this really happening now?”
“Abena!” I said sharply, glaring at her. But Evander laughed and lifted our entwined hands.
