Thalia had tricked him into marrying her. Trapped him. Manipulated him! And worse than all of that, she had lied right to his face about everything… very likely including how she felt about it.
And that was the realization that hurt most of all.
Twenty-Four
Thalia stood over Olivia’s bed, watching her daughter sleep so soundly and peacefully that one might think that she was dead. The little angel wore a smile on her lips as she slept, and this brought a smile to Thalia’s own lips because nothing brought her greater joy than knowing her daughter was happy.
At least one of us is…
She owed it to Ronan, even if that felt strange to admit. Since she had confronted him in his office, the duke had tried his best to make Olivia realize that he still cared for her. He said good morning when they broke their fast, he often stopped in to greet them as they supped, and twice now he had even said goodnight before she was lain down to sleep.
The only mark against these kind actions were that he did so always without acknowledging Thalia. Perhaps a smile was the most he would give her; a brief moment when their eyes wouldmeet. But he was still guarded against her, and she wondered how much longer it could go on for.
Likely, it would go on forever. And the only way to change it was if Thalia did something about it. If she was to force him to talk to her, finally demanding the answers she had so long wanted.
Why was he this way? What was he so scared of? And why could he not see that his feelings for her what not something to fear? Rather, they should be embraced.
But I do not want to scare him off again either. What if I confront him, and he withdraws even further and punishes Olivia for it?
For now, she had to content herself with how things were while hoping that, in time, Ronan would soften and see her as not a stranger but a wife… one he might come to love, should he give himself the chance.
She held her smile on her daughter for a moment longer, knowing she was doing the right thing. Then she pulled her gaze free and looked up, gasping and jumping on the spot to find Ronan lurking in the doorway.
“Oh!” she clutched her chest, catching her words because she did not wish to wake Olivia. “You scared me.”
He stood in shadow so that only his eyes were visible in the dark. And they watched her as if he was trying to see through her, nosense that he cared or felt compassion. Perhaps even that he was trying to scare her.
“I did not mean to,” he said, his voice low and dark.
“She has just drifted off,” Thalia explained, smiling again at her daughter. “But she will like knowing that you came to see her.”
“I did not come to see Olivia.”
“Oh?”
“I came to speak with you.”
Thalia hesitated… caught between excitement and worry. She wished to believe that he was doing as had wanted, but the glower he had her in, the darkness in his presence and the way it wafted from his shadow-covered body, was enough to squash this hope.
Something was wrong… and she knew before he spoke that whatever this was, she would come to regret it.
“I…” She looked at her daughter one more time. “Shall we go somewhere? I do not wish to wake Olivia.” She started toward him, thinking to step around his hulking frame and lure him down the hallway.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked when she was just halfway across the room.
She came to a stop. “Excuse me?”
“Were you ever going to tell me?” he repeated, growling at her. “Or was it that you hoped I would never find out? I suppose there was no reason that I would, so why ruin a good thing as you saw it? ”
“I don’t…” She swallowed back the fear that was slowly creeping inside of her. “I do not understand what you are?—”
“I find it ironic in so many ways,” he spoke over her. “How you have behaved. Making it seem that I am the one who is unwilling to be true to himself and what he wants. As if I am the imposter.”
Her heart started to thump, a cold sweat building beneath her skin. “What are you saying?” She laughed awkwardly. “Did Olivia say something to you?”
“You’ve been lying to me,” he said darkly. “All this time. About everything. And here I was, thinking that I was the one who should feel ashamed for how he has been behaving. Is that why you did it? You saw an easy target, someone to manipulate and take advantage of? Someone you knew wouldn’t ask questions because he would rather hide away than confront the truth?”
It didn’t take long for Thalia to understand what he was saying.
