Sath sat in his private quarters, his head resting heavily against his hands as the news settled over him like a storm breaking. Leah. Hired. Here. In the palace.
At first, a wave of horror swept through him, gripping his chest like a vice. The woman he had spent five years avoiding, the woman whose life he had shattered, was now within the palace walls. His mind, trained for years in strategy and intelligence, spun with the implications.
Sath stood abruptly, pacing the length of the room as his thoughts spiraled. He had spent every moment since that fateful day ensuring Leah was safe, quietly monitoring her from a distance. He never allowed himself to cross her path, even when the ache in his chest became unbearable.
He thought he had been careful. Every angle calculated. Every risk mi
