Although those words had cut deeper than a knife, the fact remained that everything bad that had happened to her recently was my fault. She hadn’t only inherited my last name. She’d also inherited my enemies and my willingness to do whatever it took to survive.
Because of me, Emika wasn’t the same woman I’d married months ago. I honestly wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
That night, after the sex and the big reveal that had left her in tears, I decided to crash on the couch in my office. I knew she needed some time alone and didn’t want to encroach on her space. So, I let her be.
It broke my heart to not be there for her, but at the same time, I figured it was best to stay away for now. Besides, I had no idea what I was going to say that would make it hurt any less.
The next morning, I woke to the sun’s warm rays on my face. A slight groan escaped my lips as I sat up with my feet on the floor. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then stretched for a second.
My body ached from all that fighting yesterday, but I ignored the pain and rose to my feet. I combed my fingers through my hair, my heart skipping at the fact that Emika was still mad at me.
I drew a deep breath and headed out to go check on her—hopefully, she’d be a lot calmer by now.
When I got to the master bedroom, I pushed the door open and waltzed inside. I stood at the entrance with a racing pulse as I watched her fold her clothes into a suitcase.
Her shoes were on the floor, and her closet door was open, revealing the empty hangers. On the bed was a pile of clothes, the same ones she was nearly folding into a suitcase.
It better be that she was only rearranging her things, not packing.
“What’re you doing?” I asked, walking further inside.
“I’m leaving.”
It felt like I’d been shot right in the chest.
“Emi—”
“I can’t do this anymore, Adrik,” she said, meeting my gaze. Her voice was devoid of rage but laced with pain. “I can’t.”
I pursed my lips, my heart breaking.
“I look at myself in the mirror, and I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me,” she added. “I don’t…I don’t even know who or what I am anymore.”
“You’re my wife,” I said, my voice low and even.
“That’s the problem.” She paused for a second. “Being your wife was what got me into this mess in the first place.”
Fair enough.
“I just want things to go back to the way they used to be before I met you,” she continued. “And if you ever cared about me, you’ll let me go. You’ll respect my decision.”
I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to survive on my own if I let her leave. But at the same time, I wasn’t going to keep her bound to me anymore. She didn’t want to stay, so why force her to?
At this point, I couldn’t force her to do anything anymore. I’d lost that power over her when I started to feel attached to her.
On the outside, it appeared as though I had everything under control. However, on the inside, I was falling to pieces, and my heart was being ripped to shreds. In all my years on earth, no bullet or knife wound had ever hurt me like this.
Perhaps it was best for her to leave. Emika wasn’t the only one who couldn’t recognize themselves in a mirror. I was growing soft because of her. So maybe drifting apart wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Legally, she was free to go. With her grandfather dead, there was no alliance left to hold. The foundation of our arranged marriage had collapsed, meaning that neither of us was bound to the other.
After all that had happened, nobody would blame her for leaving. She’d always wanted to leave this place; that was why she’d run away before. She’d felt caged and longed to be set free.
“You really want to leave?” I asked her.
She clenched her jaw and nodded.
I hesitated for a while, my pulse racing. “Okay.”
