I Was Never Yours

Confrontation

Knock. Knock.

For the first time since I moved out of our bedroom, I knocked on Vaeldric's door.

He stared at me blankly, as though he couldn't believe I was standing in front of the room we had shared for the past six years.

For a moment, his face brightened when he saw me. Then his expression fell when he realized I wasn't carrying anything.

The smile that had briefly appeared disappeared just as quickly. The arm he had almost opened to pull me into a hug was immediately hidden behind his back.

"What is it, Sera? I thought you were coming back to your throne." He avoided my gaze.

A small part of me still missed him. No matter how Vaeldric behaved outside these walls, he had always been a dependable husband at home.

That was why I had trusted him completely, no doubt, nor suspicion.

"You destroyed that throne when you built another one with Lysara, Vaeldric." I kept my voice as flat as possible and even managed a smile.

"I only came to deliver a message from Amelia." I handed him the envelope.

He accepted it without asking a single question, as though he already knew it would arrive.

Of course he did. He was part of this Church attack. For a moment, I almost forgot that we were no longer on the same side.

"I had absolutely no idea Father was planning to involve Aurion, Sera. I swear." He lowered his head. His fingers twitched restlessly.

"I don't care." My answer came immediately.

"All I know is that letter was sent to interrogate me about my loss. I don't care who suggested it, who arranged it, or who carried it out."

He let out a frustrated breath. A second later, his fist slammed into the wall beside us.

"Stop being so stubborn, Sera." His voice hardened.

"Just give in. Step back. If you do that, Father will stop attacking you."

"And then what?" My voice rose before I could stop it.

"Will you abandon me again like you did that day?"

"I'm still the head of this family." Now he was shouting.

"Stop doing whatever you want!"

"Then act like the head of a family." I stared straight at him. "Stop being a coward."

He flinched. The words hit harder than I intended. Then he stepped forward. I had never seen Vaeldric’s temper burn so dangerously.

His fingers closed roughly around my cheek. Yet the calmness of his movements felt far more threatening than his anger.

He gripped my jaw and tilted my face upward. "Watch your words, Sera."

His voice was cold. Sharp. "You're still my wife."

I slapped his hand away. "Then do what a husband is supposed to do."

I drew a shaky breath, trying to calm the sudden surge of emotion.

"You already failed as a father when you chose to take that prostitute home while Aurion and I were dying." The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

"If you had been there..." My voice cracked.

"If I had received treatment sooner..." I swallowed hard.

"Maybe I'd still be holding my son right now." The tears finally broke free.

"I don't care if you eventually leave me for another woman." I shook my head.

"I just want my son." The sobs became impossible to contain.

Vaeldric pulled me into his arms as though he could comfort me. As though he wasn't the reason for my pain.

"You never even visited Aurion's grave after he was buried." My voice trembled.

"You can be cruel to me. You can betray me. But at least treat your dead son with some dignity, Vaeldric."

My throat burned. Too many emotions had been trapped inside for too long.

"I visit him every day." His voice was quiet.

"Every single day." He paused for a while.

"To atone for my guilt." He lowered his head.

"I'm sorry for everything, Sera."

I laughed bitterly. "Sorry for what?" I looked up at him.

"Even when the Church starts interrogating me, I already know you won't help me." My chest tightened.

"Are you just going to keep destroying me and apologizing afterward?" I took a shaky breath.

"Again and again?"

***

The cathedral towered over the center of the capital. Like a mountain of stone built to remind mankind how small they were before God.

Its atmosphere was grand yet peaceful, a sharp contrast to the noise of the city outside.

Guards stood in neat rows at the main entrance, swords sheathed at their sides. A clear sign that this was not an ordinary service. Not merely a religious ceremony. A trial.

I entered alongside my family. Many nobles had already gathered inside.

How amusing. These days I was practically a celebrity. Every move I made had become public entertainment.

A few moments later, a side door opened. The entire hall fell silent. Everyone rose to their feet.

An elderly man dressed in white-and-gold robes entered the chamber. His hair was completely white, yet his posture remained straight.

Archbishop Alaric Voss. The highest authority of the Holy Church of Valerion.

Alaric struck the floor once with his silver staff. "Today, we gather under the Light."

His voice echoed throughout the cathedral.

"Not to assign blame."

I nearly laughed at the lie.

"House Ashbourne has petitioned for a formal inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Aurion Ashbourne."

Alaric opened the document before him. "Lady Seraphina Ashbourne."

I stood. "Present."

"Lord Vaeldric Ashbourne."

Across the chamber, Vaeldric rose to his feet. "Present."

Alaric glanced back down at the document.

"Lord Vaeldric Ashbourne." Silence settled over the cathedral.

"Where were you when your wife collapsed?"

For the first time that day, blood rushed from Magnus Ashbourne's face, leaving him deathly pale.