Mate 20 - Suspicion
Sage When I woke, he was gone. No lingering warmth beside me, no trace of him in the dim morning light filtering through the curtains. Only the scent of liquor clung faintly to the sheets, and the dull ache in my body served as the only evidence of what had transpired. I lay still, staring at the canopy overhead, my mind blank yet heavy, as though I were caught in some inescapable fog. It was done. I had done what was expected of me. Given what was required. My father’s words echoed in my mind. "You must secure the alliance." "Do not fail." "Ensure an heir. Then he can’t reject you anymore." I had obeyed. I had done everything right. And yet… why did it feel like something inside me had been hollowed out? I turned onto my side, fingers brushing against the sheets where Damien ha
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