Page 66 of Sweeter than Honey

“Tudor gave me a great gift,” I respond. There’s relief, but also an empty feeling of vulnerability, in my chest. “And I paid a price. My life, and my dedication to him. It’s a price I’ll pay for as long as I exist.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Lily says. “You’vemorethan paid your debt to Tudor. You don’t need to keep sacrificing yourself, over and over again.”

Fresh tears fall down my own cheeks. “I don’t know, Lily…I’m so old, I don’t know if I can do something different…”

She takes my face in her hands, unafraid of the bloody tracks that cross my face. “Iknow you can. Tudor might have valued you justbecause of your hard work. But that doesn’t mean everyone else does.”

She exhales. I can’t look away from her shining, earnest face.

“I love you, Renata. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re enough, just as you are. You don’t have to work yourself into the ground like this. You’ll always be enough, for me.”

She pulls me into a tight embrace. Her heart pounds against me. It gives me the strength to hear her words.

Something inside me breaks open. I hold her close to me, burying my face in her hair.

After several minutes, we pull away from each other.

My voice sounds different now. Something’s changed. “My crypt…it’s behind the hidden door, there.” I point to a corner of the room, beside a leafy plant in a stone vase. “My coffin is lined with silk, and it’s quite large. Will you lie there with me?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes, of course.”

Chapter 23: Renata's mauve heels

Renata

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” says our new flower vendor. She stands from her chair in the boardroom to shake my hand.

“The pleasure is our’s,” I tell her. “With the increase in wedding events at our hotel, we’re looking forward to using your services exclusively.”

“And I’m very grateful for the opportunity,” she says with a genuine smile.

“Please help yourself to a complementary dinner on your way out,” Lily says, as she shows her out of the boardroom. “Our restaurant is rated one of the best in Silverlake City.”

“I’ve heard that,” the woman says. “I think I might, thank you very much!”

Lily shows her out and then closes the boardroom door.

“Excellent work, Lily,” I say happily. Now that we only have one flower vendor, it will streamline our wedding event services significantly. No more complicated coordinating with different companies, figuring out where the trucks will go and ensuring that there are no allergies or out-of-season shortages. We’re well on our way to becoming a complete wedding service.

“You were wonderful, Renata,” Lily says, a sweet smile on her face.

I love how shy she still is with me. I can’t help myself, I take her into my arms and kiss her behind the ear. She giggles.

“How long until our next meeting?” I ask.

Then the door bangs open. With supernatural speed, I disentangle myself from Lily.

It’s Xia. She looks suspiciously back and forth between Lily and I. Lily gives me a guilty look, and she definitely looks flustered.

But I’m not going to give anything away to Xia.

“What is it, Xia?” I snap.

She grins at me mischievously. “What’s going on here?”

“Nothing’s going on. We just finished up a meeting with a vendor.” I smooth down the edges of my blazer.

“Mm-hm,” Xia hums. “I see you’re wearing your nails very short, Ren.”