Chapter 40
“I’m fine,” I lie, the words hollow and brittle as they fall from my lips. “You should get Max home. He’d be due for his dinner.” My voice wavers, betraying my feigned strength.
Soren’s gaze pierces through me, seeing past the facade I’ve erected. His eyes, deep pools of concern, search my face for the truth I try so desperately to hide. “I’m not leaving you like this,” he insists.
“Let me drive you home,” he continues, his tone brooking no argument yet laced with an empathy that fractures my resolve.
“I…” I start, but the words tangle, caught between pride and despair. Soren’s steady gaze holds mine, offering silent support. He doesn’t push, doesn’t demand. He simply waits for me to agree. H emotions for Max who rushes toward us, Soren instantly scoops him up.
Then Soren’s hand finds mine in the darkness, warm and steady, an anchor in the storm that rages inside my soul. I stumble slightly on the gravel, my legs shaky, my heart a broken compass in a world suddenly devoid of direction. Without a word, he guides me to his sleek black sedan parked under the orange glow of the streetlight.
His touch is gentle but firm before he lets go, buckling Max into his seat. He motions toward the passenger door and opens it for me. I sigh but slide into the vehicle, the leather seats cool against my skin and he climbs into the driver’s seat. The engine purrs to life, a soft vibration that seems to mock
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the silence between us. I draw in a shuddering breath, my eyes fixed on the passing scenery–a blur of shadows and light that mirrors the turmoil within me.
The only sound is the hum of the engine and the occasional sniffle that I can’t suppress. Soren doesn’t speak, which I am thankful for. Words are pointless; they’re just echoes of a pain too profound to articulate.
We pull up to my house, and I realize now everything has changed. And as I sit beside Soren, this man who carries the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders yet offers me solace in my darkest hour, I understand that nothing will ever be the same again.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice barely audible over the roar of blood in my ears. “For everything.” I reach for the door handle.
“Maybe stay with us the night?” Soren suggests, his voice gentle yet firm. His gaze drifts over my house, taking in the peeling paint and the neglected garden.
I follow his gaze, seeing the house through his eyes, and the shabbiness claws at me. A lump forms in my throat, and I swallow hard against it. Now she is gone, what do I do? I can’t stay here, she was my excuse for being here, I can’t register with the council and now I know I will be asked to leave.
“No, don’t be silly. I’ll be fine,” I whisper, more to myself than to King Soren. But his fingers curl around mine, a vise of warmth in the chill air, unwilling to let go.
“King Soren, really–I-” My words falter, breath catching in a throat tight with unshed tears.
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His grip tightens, and it feels like an anchor in a sea of sorrow. “Bree, you don’t have to be alone.”
The insistence in his voice claws at the walls I’ve hastily built around my grief. Alone is all I’ve known, despite the pack, the familiar scents of pine and earth that should signify home. Betrayal lingers in my nostrils, Bianca’s perfume mingled with Rhett’s–a scent that once promised safety now reeks of heartache.
“Being alone… it’s what I’m used to,” I choke out, each word a shard of glass scraping its way up my throat. The loneliness isn’t new; it’s a shadow that’s followed me since Bianca walked into our lives, since I turned my back on my family for the man who sold me.
Soren doesn’t push further. He gives me a nod, a silent acknowledgment of my choice, a testament to his respect for my grief. With one last glance at the house, he starts the car again, the headlights cutting through the darkness, leaving me standing in the quiet night.
“Goodbye, King Soren,” I whisper to the empty space where he once stood. And then I turn toward the house, bracing myself for the echoes of a love lost but never forgotten.
I pivot on my heel, the gravel underfoot crunching like bones in the heavy silence. The night air wraps around me, cold and unforgiving as the truth that claws at my insides. A shiver races across my skin, but it’s not from the chill–it’s the raw void where Granny’s warmth used to be.
“Goodnight King Soren, Max. I will see you soon,” I choke out, my voice a tangle of grief and resolve. Max’s big, tear–filled eyes lock onto mine, and I muster a half smile for him, a weak
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attempt to soften the jagged edge of reality.
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The door handle of the car feels cold and foreign under my fingers as I fumble to release myself from the confines of Soren’s vehicle. Slipping out, the chill evening air bites at my skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of the tears streaming down my cheeks. I shut the door.
Gravel crunches beneath my boots as I make the short, yet infinite walk to the front steps.
Turning my back on them, on everything, I cross the threshold into the silent house. The door closes with a soft click, and I lean against it, allowing myself to slide down to the floor. Here, in the enveloping darkness, I can let go. Here, I can break apart like I’ve felt like doing since I found her.
But for now, I sit in the suffocating stillness, the echoes of my heartbeat the only sign I’m still alive in the wreckage of my shattered world.
