Page 106 of The Throne Seeker

The dam in her eyes overflowed as a tear slipped out.

Thunder clapped over them with a loud rumble.

Tristan scoffed as he ran his hands through his hair again. “This has nothing to do with the treaty, does it? This is about yesterday. For sending Zareb away, for taking your sword.”

Her watery eyes finally looked back at him. “I admit I was angry, but—I’m not a child anymore. If I choose to wield a sword, that should be my decision. Zareb believed I could do it. Why can’t you?”

A new monster crept into his eyes. “That’sexactlywhy he had to leave!” he barked. “He was filling your head with ridiculous notions. You’re not made for that life. You’ll be royalty.”

“Ridiculous notions?” she said in disbelief. “Ienjoyit. After all this time of feeling helpless, I feel like I can do something for myself. I’m good at it.”

“I can see how it might seem like you need it. But you’re just scared, and I blame myself for that. You’ll feel differently once we find out who is behind all this. I promise nothing like that will happen to you again. I sent Zareb away because I care about you—because I didn’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Is that why?” she challenged, trying to get to the root of it. “Were you really worried about my safety? Or was it something else?”

Another loud clap of thunder rolled over them, the pounding rain falling harder, filling the air.

“Thatisthe only reason,” Tristan replied in a deadly sure voice.

Something inside her made her doubt, but it didn’t matter now. “I can’t stay here. Being here has been so much harder than I’ve led you to believe. I’ve tried to be here—to do this all for you, for my mother, but I can’t do it anymore.”

Tristan’s hands rolled into tight fists. He paced as if trying to think of something—anything to convince her to change her mind.

A flash of devastation flickered in his eyes as he said in a low whisper, “So this is your decision?”

Rose’s lip quivered as another wave of tears came to her eyes. Damn it.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as a tear slipped out.

He clenched his jaw silently, then nodded slowly, accepting her answer this time. He turned his back on her, going to his horse.

“Wait, Tristan, please,” she said, following his steps. “Please don’t leave angry.”

He spun sharply, pointing an accusatory finger at her. “I was ready to give upeverythingfor you! It just shows that I alone was never enough for you… I was never your first choice anyway,” he added in a vicious voice.

A low blow.

Her face burned red. “That’s not fair.”

“I’m not going to stand here and beg for you to stay.” He mounted his horse roughly, then glared down at her, his harsh gaze crashing into hers. “I hope you live to regret this. I hope when you look back on this moment, you remember howyouwere the one who chose this.Youwere the one who chose to give up.”

She was so shocked by his cruelty, she couldn’t utter a single syllable. He didn’t give her a chance anyway. He rode away into the stormy weather, rain still pouring, leaving her to stand alone amidst the desolate ruins.

Her tears fell like the rain that fell from the heavens. Or perhaps hell.

She had known it was going to hurt. She’d known it would take a toll. But she hadn’t been prepared for the crippling agony welling inside her, for her heart to feel like someone had ripped it out and squeezed it as hard as they could.

Panic consumed every organ as she gasped for air, her heart beating so fast she could scarcely suck in a breath. She looked down at her hands as she shakily wrapped them around herself. She sank back against the cold stone pillar, sliding down to the mud-soaked floor, not caring if it ruined her dress.

Her heart shattered with every thunderclap that roared through the sky—breaking her soul down more and more until she was nothing but a pile of dust ready to be blown away by the first gust of wind that came.

She curled up in the fetal position and let herself cry. Let herself feel sorry for herself. Let herself feel every wave of disappointment, anger, and grief flow out of her. She let herself wish she was a different person, the person he needed.

But most of all, she wished she’d never come back at all.

CHAPTER 45

Hours later, Rose finally picked herself off the sopping ground, the sky dimming as more dark clouds gathered. Her hands trembled, even as she forced herself onto her horse, trudging through the rain to meet her fate.