Fantasy

To the world, Princess Ilaria of Caelwyn is a bride of duty. To her heart, she is a woman desperately chasing the love of the husband who will not look her way.
    All she ever wanted was for him to care; for him to turn his gaze toward her with the same fervor she carried in her heart. No matter how many times he pushed her away, no matter how cold the silence between them became, she never gave up. Not once did she allow herself to see him as someone unworthy of her love. To her, he was always worth it.
    And when love at last took root, when it bloomed against every storm that tried to tear them apart; when two hearts finally found each other and dared to beat as one...fate, as cruel and merciless as it is, reminded them that there were forces even love could never conquer.
    --EXCERPT--
    Levan pressed his lips to her temple, his lips trembling as though the kiss itself might shatter him. One hand cradled her face with the kind of gentleness he had never shown anyone, while the other threaded weakly through her hair, trying futilely to soothe the sobs wracking his wife's body.
    His breath break unevenly, his eyes were shut tight, as if by closing them he could pretend this moment would never come. As if the world might let them stay this way forever. As if the reality of it all could be discarded just so that they could live however they wanted.
    He let his mouth fall against her cheek and linger there, tasting the salt of her tears as though they were his own. He did not move for a long while...because if this sorrow was the final piece of her he was allowed to carry, he wanted to etch it into his very soul.
    He wanted to remember the way she shook in his arms. He wanted to remember the sound of her muffled cries. He wanted to remember the warmth of her skin pressed so desperately against him. He wanted to remember her as his wife; his beloved.
    “Live, my love,” he whispered, his voice raw and breaking, the words choking out of him like a prayer he could barely force past his throat. He buried his face against her hair so she would not see the tears spilling freely down his cheeks.
    “Even if it's far from me…live.”