My chest constricts as the pieces click into place—her constant rejections, the way she pulls away from my touch.
All this time, she’s been with him.
“Alek,” she says as she takes a step toward me, but I raise my hand to stop her.
My gaze locks onto Titanus, who stands there like a golden statue, proud and unmoved. “Leave us.”
The commander’s eyes flick to Asha, seeking permission even now, and she nods. He bows stiffly and walks past me, his armor clinking with each step as he exits the tent.
Asha speaks the moment we’re alone. “I can explain.”
“Explain what?” I ask, not bothering to hide my anger. “How long you’ve been lying to me? Making a fool of me?”
“You don’t understand—”
“—I understand perfectly.” I move closer, close enough to see the rapid pulse in her throat. “You never intended to be faithful to me, did you?”
Her silence is answer enough.
Something inside me splinters, a crack spreading through my chest like ice breaking over a frozen lake. “I should have known you were only using me.”
“That’s not fair,” she says, but her words are empty, like everything else between us has been.
“Isn’t it?” The question hangs between us like a poisoned blade.
She flinches but doesn’t back away from me. “You and I are different. Surely, you see that. You must know I could never love you.”
“You’re right, Asha. The only person you love is yourself.”
A storm brews behind her eyes as she speaks in a flat voice. “This isn’t about love. It’s about duty.”
“Duty?” I scoff. “Is that what you call sneaking around with your commander behind my back?”
She crosses her arms. “I owe you nothing. Our arrangement was always political.”
“Don’t insult me,” I snap.
“If you saw more, that’s on you. I never promised you my heart.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “No, you just dangled it like a carrot, keeping me close when it suited you.”
“This war is bigger than us,” she insists. “Bigger than petty jealousies.”
“Don’t trivialize this. You manipulated me.”
She shakes her head. “I partnered with you because it was strategic. Personal feelings were never part of the equation.”
“Maybe not for you,” I say, a sharp edge to my words. “But I won’t be made a fool of.”
She takes a breath, steadying herself. “What do you want from me, Aleksander?”
“The truth. Why string me along when you clearly had no intention of honoring our betrothal?”
A flicker of something passes over her face. “Aligning our houses was necessary. Emotion had nothing to do with it.”
A cold realization settles over me as I shake my head. “You used me to bolster your power, just as my father always said others would.”
“This isn’t about your father.”
