This longing, this ache—it was only temporary.
Wasn’t it?
I exhaled, shoving the thought aside. I could endure this. I had endured worse.
With a sigh, I turned and reentered the house.
The sight that greeted me was predictable.
Roman and Olivia sat close, his arm draped protectively around her, her hand resting possessively on his leg—a silent message, an unspoken us against him.
Fine.
Let them cling to each other. It didn’t matter.
They still needed to hear the rest of the story.
I straightened, my expression unreadable as I strode back toward them. “I’m through cloaking the past. I’ll continue this story as it should be told, referring to each of you as you are—Roman and Olivia. No more past names.”
Roman nodded as if permitting me to speak, though his grip on Olivia remained firm.
I didn’t care.
I pressed forward.
“When you cast me out, I warned you—you were in danger. You had to move. The darkness would find you.” I flicked my gaze to Roman. “But you stood your ground. You looked me in the eye and said, ‘We found the dagger, and thenyou decided to tell me you had an affair. What other option do we have but to cast you aside?”
“I begged you both to let me stay. I promised to keep my hands off your wife if you let me remain. Not for my sake—for yours. For the children. I wanted to protect you. But you wouldn’t relent.”
I forced myself to breathe, to temper the sorrow that curled in my chest. “So, I left.”
The silence in the room was thick, suffocating.
I exhaled, shaking my head. “Those of us who live in the shadows must accept a different set of rules when it comes to love, to relationships.” My voice was low, rough, edged with something I couldn’t quite name.
I let my gaze linger between them.
“Haven’t you figured that out yet?”
I wasn’t sure if I was telling them this.
Or reminding myself.
“After you cast me out of your home, I remained in the shadows.”
“I hid in the woods, in caves, behind copses of trees and boulders—wherever I needed to be to watch over you.”
I drag a hand through my hair before slumping into my chair. “You realized you weren’t safe the day you went to the village, Roman.”
I lifted my gaze to him, watching as recognition flickered in his eyes. “You overheard the whispers—villagers muttering about your Timeborne abilities, debating whether to turn you over to the Timehunters. And in that moment, you knew.”
A pause.
“You rushed home. You packed your belongings, threw everything into a wagon, and left with Isabelle and the children.”
I leaned forward, elbows braced against my knees. “I followed you.”
The silence in the room was thick, tangible, pressing in from all sides.
