Chapter 187: The Space They Need
Lunara shook her head, almost to herself. "Maybe we moved too fast."
Her voice wasn’t angry this time. Just tired. Fragile. Like a thread unraveling.
Eryx stayed quiet, unsure whether to reach for her or give her space. She wasn’t looking at him now, her eyes were elsewhere, distant, like she wasn’t fully in the room anymore.
"We barely had time to breathe," she continued, her tone low. "Sometimes I wonder if we rushed into this... again," Lunara said, shaking her head again.
"Two years ago, we got married because of a deal. We didn’t even know each other. And now... after everything, we just picked up like that never happened. Like we could erase the way we started and pretend this is something normal."
She looked away, a bitter smile tugging at her lips.
"But it wasn’t normal. It still isn’t. We never had a beginning the way most people do."
Eryx’s throat tightened. He had no defense against the truth she laid bare, and no excuse strong enough to make it hurt less.
"You’re right," he said finally. His voice was quiet, but steady. "We didn’t start like most people. I found you because I needed something. And I used what you needed to make you say yes."
Lunara’s gaze flicked toward him, surprised by the honesty in his tone.
"I’ve hated that part of myself every day since," he added.