Mara POV
I don’t sleep.
I would have followed you into that water without hesitation though, I mean, everyone presumes you’re my wife.
The words loop in my head. Over and over. Yes, everyone assumes that, but there is something beneath those words.
Because what does that even mean? That he would have risked his life for appearances? For the performance we’ve been putting on for months? Or was there something else beneath those words—something he couldn’t quite bring himself to say?
I stare at the ceiling. Listen to the rain that hadn’t stopped since hours ago. Each drop against the window feels like a tick of a clock counting down to something I can’t name.
I wonder if he’s awake too on the other side of the wall.
Probably. Lucien never sleeps. I’ve learned that over the past few m
