Page 103 of Savage Empire

As an older brother, I’d do almost anything for my younger siblings. I take care of this family in silent ways all the time, but real conversations like this aren’t always common. Especially with Leon.

He’s always been so self-sufficient. And now here he is, sitting in front of me and bearing his fucking soul. For a man, let alone a made man, to admit that something as human as loneliness is plaguing him…I know this isn’t an easy fix. Something deeper is going on here.

“Cleo and I agreed to a marriage in name,” he continues, breathing out hard. “She wanted it that way, and I was fine with it. I was never going to force her to love me. But it’s been five years now, Apollo. Five years of cold indifference. There’s no friendship, let alone intimacy. We share the kids like business partners, and the house like roommates. We don’t share a bed. We don’t kiss, or hug, or hold hands. The only times we’ve fucked have been to try for kids. We don’t eventalk,man.”

Jesus,I wince.

“She doesn’t ask about my day, and she doesn’t want me to ask about hers. We talk about the kids, and nothing else. I knew we didn’t sign up to fall in love, but I didn’t expect her to act so fucking cold either. We don’t have to love each other to show each other kindness and fucking care. She gave birth to my son and she acts like I’m odd for wanting to know if she’s had a good day. I mean, what the fuck is that?”

“Fuck, Leon.” My head shakes. “Why have you never said anything?”

“Would you?” he challenges. “It doesn’t exactly feel good to tell people how much your wife wants nothing to do with you.”

I sigh, accepting his reasoning. “But you told her about Rayna? Why, if things are so bad?”

“Because I was done,” he admits, lips turned down. “I almost kissed another woman for a scrap of affection. I’ve gone five years without feeling wanted or desired orlikedby my wife and I just needed it to change. I decided to go to Cleo and tell her, to amend our relationship or fucking end it.”

“End it?” My eyes widen. “You gave her an ultimatum?”

“No, not exactly,” he groans. “I didn’t want to manipulate her into being with me or anything. I just couldn’t handle being so fucking miserable anymore.”

I nod, encouraging him to go on.

“I told her that I wasn’t handling our indifference well anymore, and that I almost kissed Rayna just for ashred of affection. I told her that if she wasn’t interested in changing how we were doing things, that I would ask Dad to give us a divorce. We could co-parent the kids and find someone else to make each other happy because clearly it wasn’t going to happen the way things are going.”

“What did she say?” Divorce wasn’t unheard of in our circles, but it was certainly uncommon. It was considered a failure, and non-traditional at best, blasphemous at worst.

“That’s why I came to you,” Leon replies, voice cracking. “She…What she said. I?—”

Holy shit.He looks like he’s about to break down and cry.

“Hey, whatever it is, we can fix it.”

“There’s no fixing this,” Leon denies, shaking his head. “You can’t tell anyone. Not yet. But fuck, Apollo. There’s nothing left to fix.”

Taking it one word at a time, Leon lays it all out on the table. He explains everything that’s happened and how irrevocably almost kissing Rayna has now changed his life.

I offer help and support where I can, but the worst part about this news isn’t how fucking devastating it is for my brother, it’sthe fact that we can’t tell anyone. He’s been suffering in silence for years, and it won’t end any time soon.

If I could fix it for him, I would. Unfortunately, today has reminded me how horrible it feels to lose control.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Rayna

Flashes of blood, fear, and death swim in my vision. My heart pounds, and confusion only heightens how tense I feel. It’s like I can’t move, like I don’t even remember how. I’m frozen, ice filling my veins as a terrible chill shudders through me.

My body suddenly shakes, and my eyes snap open.

A nightmare,I realize immediately. I was asleep.

My torso flexes as I fly into a seated position, flinching at the face above my own. “Apollo?” I croak, eyes flicking around the dark room. “What the hell?”

My brain feels foggy, and a ghost of fright still remains. Trying to control my breathing makes me wonder if I was holding my breath or if my heart pounding took the air right out of me.

“You were having a nightmare. I woke you up.”

“Oh.” I blink, attempting to adjust in the mostly unlit room. “Sorry.”