nize, trapped between the walls of tradition, duty, and a marriage she had never asked for. It wasn't just the vow

to himself, as though carrying the weight of a burden he didn't want to share. His silence was a

storted and unfamiliar. Every glance exchanged felt like a question neither could an

thoughts she couldn't organize. The cool night air brushed against her skin, the stars hanging low in the sky lik

ken only by the occasional rustle of leaves in the trees. She found herself at the edge of the village, near the river that ran through it, its surfa

the village, the expectations pressing down on her shoulders like a constant weight. She had been promised freedom, a life

ara turned to find Kieran standing a few paces behind

?" Elara asked, her voic

er leaving her. "I could ask you the same thi

aid, her words coming out mor

you're the only one who needs a break from all of this?" His eyes were dark, dis

ind his eyes. She knew he was suffering too, even if he wouldn't admit it. "I didn'

in every movement. "You think I don't know that?" His voice was a mix o

s voice, a quiet plea for understanding that she hadn't expected. For a moment, the air

ce for any hint of what he truly felt. "We're both in this mess, but I can't pretend it

y above a whisper, he spoke again. "I didn't ask for my life to be like this. I didn't want to be the man in charge, the one who carries all th

or a moment, she saw him-not the stranger she had married, not the man with the cold exteri

y, her voice barely audible. "And I don't think we ever will

the water rushing over stones filling the silence between them. The night air felt heavier now, as

"No. We don't have to pretend. But we still have to make this work. For the village, for t

just about their personal desires, their feelings of betrayal or frustration-it was about e

mfort. There were no easy answers, no escape from the tangled web of expectations and secrets that ha

d, her voice trembling. "I don't know how

time since they had met. "Then we'll figure it out together," he s

words sinking deep into her chest. May

as before. Perhaps this strange, forced marriage wasn't the end of everything. Perhaps it was just

atter what came next, they wo