“Tell me the truth,” she demanded, her eyes locking onto his. “What are you hiding from me? What internal injuries was the doctor talking about?”
Elias closed his eyes briefly. His hand lifted to his temple, rubbing once as he let out a long breath. When he looked back at her, the calmness on his face looked forced.
“In your accident,” he said quietly, “you were hurt badly. When your grandfather came to me about the marriage, he told me everything. You had internal injuries… and you were still healing. The doctor said you shouldn’t have sex until your body fully recovered. It was going to take time.”
“And why the hell was I not told about any of it?” Amara snapped, her voice slicing through the silence. Her chest heavedsharply as anger rushed through her. Her hands curled into tight fists at her sides, nails digging hard into her palms.
“Were you trying to keep it from me till the day I die? How is that fair? How is it fair that both of you hid something this huge from me?”
Her eyes burned as she stared at him, her breathing uneven now, frustration building with every second.
Elias stood still for a long moment before exhaling slowly through his nose. His jaw tightened, and when he finally spoke, his voice sounded tightly restrained.
“Your grandpa asked me to keep it a secret,” he said quietly, his gaze fixed on her, heavy with something that looked dangerously close to guilt. “He didn’t want you worrying about it while you were still recovering. Back then… you were already carrying too much. He didn’t want to add more pain to it, so I agreed.”
For a second, silence stretched between them.
Then Amara let out a short, disbelieving laugh. There was no humor in it. Her head shook slowly as her eyes widened, hurt and anger flashing across her face.
“So that’s why?” she asked, stepping closer, her voice turning sharper with every word. “That’s why you never got close to me?”
Her arms folded tightly over her chest before dropping again in frustration.
“No sex during the entire marriage—was that the reason?” she demanded. “What else are you hiding from me? Don’t you think I deserve to know the truth?”
The last words cracked slightly, betraying her emotions, but she refused to look away from him.
“You married me,” she continued, her words rushing out faster now, “but you never intended to actually be with me? You’re telling me you planned to spend our entire marriage without touching me?” Her breathing turned uneven. “That you never felt anything for me… is that it?”
Elias’s expression changed instantly.
“Are you out of your mind?” he shot back, taking a sharp step toward her.
His eyes swept over her face before trailing down her body in one quick, frustrated glance, then locking back onto her eyes. The look was intense, almost offended by the accusation itself.
“Do you seriously think that?”
A rough breath escaped him as he dragged a hand through his hair.
“What kind of man do you think I am?” His eyes locked onto hers. “What exactly am I lacking that I’d marry a woman I didn’t want?”
Amara didn’t move. If anything, her chin lifted higher in defiance.
“If you wanted me that much,” she shot back, “then why did you avoid me our entire marriage? Why did you keep disappearing like coming home to me was the last thing you wanted?”
Elias’s jaw tightening hard enough for the muscle there to twitch. He dragged a hand down his face, exhaustion and frustration written all over him, before exhaling heavily through his nose.
For a second, he said nothing.
Then he turned back toward her.
His eyes moved over her body instinctively, lingering for a moment before returning to her face.
When he finally looked back at her, his voice had lowered, rougher now.
“You think it was easy?”
One of his hands lifted, gesturing toward her as if he didn’t even know how to explain what she did to him.
