Page 123 of The Sinner's Bargain

“Those women mentioned something back at the bookshop.”

A raindrop hit her upturned cheek. I brushed it away lightly with my thumb.

“What did they say?”

Her hesitation tangled with the knot in my gut. “They mentioned you were married. A few times,” she added softly. “And you killed them.”

I drew in a breath and faced forward. “I see.”

I met Cyrus’s side glance as he moved ahead of us, giving us privacy.

“Are you married?” she asked.

“No.”

“Were you?”

I shook my head. “No.” I took a deep breath, accepting that I had no fucking choice. She deserved the truth and I needed to tell her before someone else did. “But I tried.” I stopped walking and turned until we were facing each other. “I tried five times, Blue.”

She didn’t seem angry that I hadn’t told her. She didn’t even seem upset. She watched me with a tiny winkle between her brows and a tilt in her head.

Concern.

She was concerned.

For me.

“What happened?” she asked.

Not, did you kill them? Because I knew that was what was said.

What happened? And I knew she would believe me no matter what I told her.

I could lie.

Tell her they were accidents. I could even explain it in a way that sounded like I had nothing to do with it.

But I couldn’t because I had three weeks to save my cursed inheritance and she needed to know why I had to let her go.

“I killed them, baby.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

THORAN

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