Page 62 of The Broken Prince

“I had no idea…”

“Your mother never told you because she didn’t want to talk about…you know. She’s still not over it, and I suspect she’ll never be. That anguish has left a permanent heaviness in her eyes. Her turmoil changed her, made her into a different person I didn’t recognize. We were both at fault, but that doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I’m glad you worked it out.”

“We’re still working it out. It’ll be a while before we’re what we used to be.”

“What led to this sudden change?” she asked. “She just woke up one morning and forgave you?”

“No. It was…” I didn’t know what to say, how to tell my daughter her mother and I had basically hooked up for the night. “We just…found our way back to each other.”

Lila didn’t pry, like she knew this was a topic she wanted to avoid. “Mother was really hurt.”

“I know.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever really know, Father. I was with her…you weren’t.”

My eyes dropped in shame.

“I was hurt too.”

“I know, sweetheart. I’m sorry.” I lifted my eyes again, looking at my daughter on the other couch…looking back at me. The hostility had evaporated, replaced by a comfortable familiarity that I experienced with very few people. “How have you been?”

“Good…just working.”

“How are you liking the bakery?”

“I get to make pie and bread all day. No complaints.”

I smiled.

“Plus, it’s warm with the fires going all day.”

“Another bonus.”

“So…the Teeth betrayed us?”

Now I was back to reality, the cold, hard truth that my world might be over soon. “We should have killed them after the war.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Huntley wanted to be a merciful king.”

“Would you have done otherwise?”

“Yes.” I was the one who had wanted them dead, and Huntley refused to do what was necessary. I respected him as my king, but I didn’t respect every decision he made.

“Who’s on the other side of the mountains?” she asked. “More men?”

“No. These other beings…”

“Like Necrosis?”

“No.”

“Then what are they?”

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to scare her, but I didn’t want to keep her in the dark either. “Creatures…monsters…something we’ve never encountered before.”