Leigh is not the tyrant Brigid wants her to be.
“I did say that, but?—”
A gasp pierces my ears, and I follow the sound, my heart breaking when I see Leigh standing in the doorway, her mouth slightly agape. She overheard my admission about calling her a disaster, but she has no idea that those words came from feeling worthless in her presence, not from genuine dislike. She doesn’t know how her actions that night affected me, how they made me question my place in this world.
I move toward her, desperate to explain, but she shuffles back, her eyes wide with what I suspect is hurt and confusion. I blink, shaking my head, trying to make sense of the situation. How is she here already? She wasn’t supposed to arrive for another hour.
“Leigh, let me explain,” I say. I can fix this. I must fix it before she runs out on me and potentially on Stellan. She needs to know I didn’t mean what I said back then. I was a different person. “I don’t know what all you heard, but I promise?—”
Leigh holds up her hand to silence me. “Is she the girl Moran mentioned that day at Kratos?” She glares at Brigid, whose persistent smile tells me she’s relishing in Leigh’s anger.
I shake my head, momentarily thrown. “What girl?”
“Your dad mentioned you had a girl in Aurora.”
Brigid grabs my arm. “You told your dad about me?”
I run my hands through my hair. This isnotwhat we needed to talk about. “Leigh, listen to?—”
“Where’s Gianna’s room?” she asks coldly.
“Across the hall,” Brigid answers. “But I saw her in the courtyard.”
Leigh nods. “Thanks. I’ll let you two finish your conversation.” Leigh gives me one last look. It’s filled with so much hurt.
I trip over my feet chasing after her. “Wait, Leigh!” We need to talk.
She’s keeping secrets, not me. Brigid means nothing to me. My plan with Stellan requires us to be united, but our relationship needs mending. It might not last much longer if she doesn’t give me a chance to explain.
“Wilder, let her go,” Brigid says, halting me.
“Did you know Leigh’s train got in early?” I whirl to face her.
Brigid shrugs. “Papa told me she changed her train reservation to arrive sooner from Mensa Station.”
“You make me sick.”
Brigid pales. “You don’t mean that.”
“Brigid, wewerefriends, but right now? Looking at you reminds me of everything wrong in this world.”
Her eyes swim with tears. Brigid’s been hurt one too many times. But I am no longer supporting her. She believes Stellan will fix all her problems and that his promises of a free Aurora will allow her to get revenge on all those who’ve wronged her in the past, including her mother. She doesn’t see how Stellan’s plans won’t work without Leigh.
I leave Brigid crying in my room, just as I did when I left Aurora for Borealis in September. But I’m not walking away from a chance at love this time. I’m walking toward it.
The morning suncasts long shadows across Aurora’s bustling streets. The scent of roasted chestnuts and spices wraps me in an exotic embrace. Gianna walks next to me, having reluctantly agreed to go on a walk so that we can talk.
After stumbling on Wilder and Brigid, I needed some fresh air. I’m not hiding from Wilder, but I can’t face him now. His words stung. He said I was an unpinned grenade, which hit home. Iamunpredictable, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes,but honestly, that’s not the real reason I walked away.
Seeing him with Brigid devastated me. The look on her face was a painful reflection of my own. She’s in love with my boyfriend, and he knows it. He never told me about her, a fact that twists the knife of my own deceit. I lied to him about Alden, desperately trying to uncover Stellan’s mole, appease the Council, and find another way before he learned about the proposal.
I’m running out of time. Alden expects my answer tonight. If I’m wrong about Gianna, I might have to marry him to save my country. And the sickening truth is, it’s my fault. My lies have backed me into this corner. My desperation. My stupidity.
Wilder will forgive me for walking away from him today.
He won’t forgive me for agreeing to be Alden’s wife.
I won’t forgive myself.
