So I sit there. I nod and pretend like casting my mate out is the only solution. I act like my heart doesn’t bleed when they call my sweetheart a nuisance.
And the worst part is yet to come. I know I’ll have to repeat their venom to her, even if it means tearing my heart out and letting her stomp on it.
Because she needs to leave.
I can’t let my mate and son stay in a place surrounded by familiar smiles and unfamiliar betrayals. I can’t take that risk.
???
Present.
It’s funny how a single night can turn your life upside down.
It’s been seven days since Nevaeh left… no,seven days since I forced her to leave.
I promised to keep her safe and ended up being the one who hurt her most. I broke her heart, her trust, and our family to pieces. I proved her fears right.
The look in her eyes when I refused her touch keeps me up at night. The way she swallowed back tears because of me. That hurt is something I’ll never forgive myself for.
That day, I wanted her to scream at me, call me names, curse me—hell, even stab me—just so I could feel a fraction of the pain I was inflicting. But I forgot how loud the voice in her head can get.
Fates, I wish she was here. I wish I could breathe her addictive scent, feel her touch, and remember what it’s like to be whole, but all I can do is curse the night our world fell apart.
I tried to link her that day, to tell her I didn’t mean a word I said, but she was too broken to realize that her pounding headache was my fault… just like her heartache.
Since the day I told my mate to leave, every breath has beenspent trying to flush out the traitors and bring her back home. But it’s not working.
It’s like she took my mind with her that day, along with my heart and soul.
I’ve never felt this useless before. I want to beg my mate for forgiveness, bring her back where she belongs, but my mind is filled with garbage, and nothing makes sense anymore.
And the worst part? Seiji and Grace haven’t spoken to me or even looked in my direction since that day. They’ve locked themselves in their rooms, and Grace won’t even see Harvey. It’s killing the poor man.
This castle feels like a ghost town. Every hallway, every room, drips with her memory, and I’m drowning in it.
I’m lost in thought when my office door slams open hard enough to rattle the walls. Without caring about the dent I’ll have to repair, Seiji storms in, marches to my desk, and delivers a bone-cracking punch to my jaw before I can blink.
Okay, I deserve that.
“I tried to stop them.” Harvey rushes in next, standing beside Grace, who straight up ignores his existence.
“He’s lying.Again.I told him to move, and he did.” Grace’s voice is cold enough to cut glass.
Harvey rubs the back of his neck and stares at the floor. I don’t blame him. I’m the reason behind the rift between them anyway.
“We’re here for the truth,” Grace demands, her tone leaving no room for argument.
She drops into a chair across from me, gesturing Seiji to do the same.
When I stay silent, she scoffs. “What, you won’t tell us anything because we don’t hold some fancy position in the kingdom?”
“Come on, Gracie, you know that’s not it.”
Seiji slams his fist on my desk. “No? Then why are the soul twins a part of it, but we’re left out? Why aren’t they ripping their hair out, sick with worry over where Nevaeh and Augustare?”
Hazel turns sharply, stalking toward the door. For a second, I think she’s going to leave me to face their anger alone, but instead, she slams it shut and stands against it, making sure our conversation remains private.
Seiji makes no effort to hide his disappointment when he levels me with a glare. But I know he’s not just angry, he’s trying to make sense of how everything went to hell overnight.
