“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
I looked away from him when he just stared at me like he was appalled. Shame burned hot beneath my skin. After a moment, he went to his bedroom and slammed the door. The sound cracked through the silence like a punishment.
Tears pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I sat up and stared at the smoldering fire as I blinked rapidly. The silence was strangling me as I sat on the couch waiting for Abram to come out. I wasn’t sure how much time passed before I finally stood up. I dressed so that I was appropriate for walking around—covered completely.
My gaze drifted toward the bedroom door and frowned. I checked on our dinner to help take my mind off what happened.I dished up our plates and took a deep breath as I knocked. It was silent for a moment.
“Abram?” I called out. “Dinner is ready.”
It was silent, and I thought he might ignore me. My chest tightened at the possibility.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” he answered.
Those damn tears filled my eyes again, and this time I let them fall. My throat ached.
“Oh, okay.”
I set the plates on the counter and stared at it. My attention moved around the house. What was I doing here? I had forced this on Abram, and I should be able to understand when I wasn’t wanted somewhere. The realization hollowed me out. I stared at the plates of food. I didn't belong here.
I shouldn’t have forced living here on him. Without thinking, I grabbed my bag and began filling it with everything I had brought. My fingers shook as I packed. I stared at the wooden lily he gave me but set it back on the shelf with his other things. This marriage wasn’t real and neither was a marriage gift. That thought broke something small and stubborn inside me.
I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. I glanced toward his door once more, steeling myself. Then I left.
I closed the door quietly, lifted my hood, and started walking through the woods toward the coven. It was dark, but the moon was bright enough to light my path. I let the tears sting my eyes as the cold night air bit at my skin. Rain soaked me quickly, but I didn’t care. It almost felt like the world wanted to wash me clean of him.
Gods, I felt so embarrassed that I made him so uncomfortable. I shook my head, hoping to get rid of the image of disappointment on his face when he realized it was me he was lying next to.
It took me over an hour to get home, if I could even call it that. My feet ached, and my cloak clung to me like a second skin.
When the house finally came into view, dread filled me. I wondered if anywhere would feel like a home. Shit, at this point I would take any place that I felt welcomed. There were lights on as I pushed the front door open. As I stepped inside, everybody stopped what they were doing, and they all stared at me with a look of annoyance because I was back.
“Why are you here?” Lydia asked.
I looked at them. My heart twisted in defiance.
“I’m your queen. I don’t answer to you,” I snapped.
They all looked taken aback because I had never stuck up for myself before. The shock on their faces gave me a hollow sense of victory. I headed up the stairs but stopped when Lydia spoke again.
“Your husband already doesn’t want you?” she chuckled.
The rest of them joined her, and I felt the weight of her words like a knife. Every laugh was another slice.
“He is traveling for work, and I didn’t want to go with him,” I lied. The words scraped my throat raw.
I heard their whispers, but I ignored them as I went into my bedroom and closed the door, my head resting on it as hot tears slid down my cheeks. I dropped my bag on the floor and let the weight of what happened with Abram sink into me. He would be relieved that I was gone, and I’d find a way to break the marriage bond so we didn't have to be near each other ever again.
I locked the door and sank onto the edge of my bed, my hands shaking in my lap. I lay back and stared at the ceiling, but sleep was impossible. After a moment, I sat up and looked at the spell book that had sealed my fate. When I picked it up, it hummed softly, alive against my skin.
I flipped through the pages until I found the binding. The final lines detailed how it could be undone, but only with Abram present. My chest tightened as the realization settled in.
“What are you doing?” Abram’s voice suddenly came from next to the bed.
I jumped and turned around, but I shrank back instantly at what I saw. Abram had appeared, and he was furious. His presence filled the room like a storm ready to strike. His magic coiled close to his body, restrained but seething.
“Reading how to break the marriage spell,” I answered.
Abram flinched back as if I had slapped him before yanking the book from my hands and throwing it across the room. The sound made me jump. I didn’t need the book to break it. His chest rose and fell quickly.
