Very well. Be careful, I replied through the channel. A quiet, bitter laugh escaped me after closing the link.
Not long after, I saw Selara’s announcement posted on the estate’s public board. Her words were meant for all to see: “My first outing in many months. I never thought I’d crave sweets so badly! Someone insisted on buying it for me.”
A photograph accompanied the note—Darian’s hand offering the confection. His wedding ring—our family seal forged in silver and blessed before the Don—still rested on his finger. The location she marked matched the very spot he had claimed to be.
The ring on my hand burned like a coal from the forge of loyalty. Without hesitation, I removed it and placed it inside the wooden chest. From that day onward, I buried myself in my duties at the physician’s quarters and within the family’s ledgers. Work became my refuge, a shield against the rising storm in my chest. The question of when Darian would return became irrelevant, drowned by the rhythm of my responsibilities.
Then, unexpectedly, he arrived one evening after my shift ended. His horse stood outside the physician’s grounds, steam rising in the cool air.
“Why are you here?” I asked softly, exhaustion lacing my voice.
“Have you forgotten?” he replied as he dismounted and offered his arm. “Tonight marks the anniversary of our union.”
“Oh,” I murmured. “Forgive me. My mind has been occupied, and I lost track.”
He stared at me, disbelief flickering across his face. “You once treasured this day above all else. How could it escape your memory?”
It was true. In earlier years, I had prepared elaborate feasts, gathered delicacies, arranged flowers, and lit candles to honor our bond. I sought only to see joy in his eyes. Yet those efforts were later dismissed as unnecessary, even shameful. I still recalled the night I organized a surprise gathering in the banquet hall. He had whispered sharply, “Liora, you draw too much attention. The family is watching. This is… uncomfortable.”
He had guided me away from the elders and guests, and in that moment, something inside me dimmed.
“Come,” he said now, leading me toward his horse. “Let us share a meal to mark the night.”
As we rode, silence stretched between us like a barren field. His gaze drifted toward me, searching for traces of the woman I used to be.
“Are you troubled?” he finally asked.
“No,” I replied.