Page 36 of The Immortal's Trick
Lome swirls his glass, a frown tugs at his lips. “Theshan Akil was desperate, but not desperate enough to push Eshe to accept any proposal I would offer. So… I pushed things along.”
My hand falls to my side.What in the Gods doesthatmean?
Thane’s voice sharpens. "Explain, Lome. What did you do?"
“Don’t look at me like that,” my husband snaps back. “You both demanded that I act. You urged me to secure the match before anything went wrong. Before she ended up like?—”
“Ambrosia,” Des finishes, voice hollow.
“Exactly,” Lome takes another swig of his drink. “You both convinced me waiting was a risk, so I took action.”
Thane grunts, “You still haven’t explained exactly what you did.”
“I stole Theshan’s latest harvest.” Lome shrugs. “With no food to sell, he had to secure Nebet’s marriage to Benipe, but when I came along with a better offer, he acceptedmefor Eshe instead.”
The world spins.
Hestolethe crops.
Lome, myhusband, stole from my family?
The horror strikes like lightning, burning every inch of my body. Smoke fills my lungs. I can’t breathe.
“You manipulated Eshe,” Des says, voice brittle with disgust. “You knew she’d sacrifice herself to save her sister.”
“She did what I hoped she would,” Lome says.
My vision darkens at the edges. A sharp gust of wind barrels down the corridor from behind me, and the door slams open.
Did that come from me?
All three men whip around. Silence crashes into the room like thunder.
I stand in the doorway, unable to speak, glaring at Lome.
His expression shifts from shock to remorse, but not regret. He is sorry I found out the truth, but he is not sorry for what he did.
And it’s not a guess. Iseehis emotions… Ifeelthem as a thread of our eternal bond carries his thoughts into my mind.
Lome is not ashamed of his trickery or his deceit.
I laugh once, dry, bitter. Then, I turn and flee.
Back in my room, I slam the door and twist the lock. It’s a meaningless gesture, but one that fills me with satisfaction nonetheless.
How could I be sostupid? I gave upeverything. My home, my family, Ani?—
Ani.
His face blooms in my memory, and the last time we spoke.
“Please,”Ani says, voice cracking. “Do not do it.”
He stands in my father’s doorway, eyes red.
“Lome is a good man,” I say evenly, hiding how my heart breaks in two at seeing his sadness. “He offered to help me save Nebet.”
“But Iloveyou, Eshe,” Ani declares. The words feel like a stab to the heart. “I’ve always loved you. Marry me, instead.”
