Chapter 87
I was pacing back and forth in front of the door. I don't know what's happening inside, and the anticipation was killing me.
"Sage, calm down. Everything will be okay," Elara tried to console me.
I hate this gnawing feeling inside me. I shouldn't be this affected I wasn't planning on us getting back together. I was actually rejecting and denying him up to the extent of asking for divorce and rejection. Yet, the pain is killing me knowing that he completely forgot all the feelings he had for me. I can't understand myself. Shouldn't I be glad that I can finally be free from his suffocating grasp now that he has no interest in me? I should be jumping in glee and excitement, but I feel the opposite. However, I still couldn't understand what happened to him and what caused his lost memories.
I
I turned to Elara and voiced out what's been bothering me. "Do you have any idea what caused this to happen?"
"There are some instances in the past th
twolf
twoll
bane poisoning can cause some memory loss. Aside from that, I can't offer
you any answer," she replied.
I blew a loud sigh. "I think this is the Moon Goddess' way of answering my prayers," I laugh bitterly. I thought this was what I wanted. But now that it's already in front of me, it makes me question my real feelings for Titus. "So, you're still planning on leaving?" she asked.
I smiled, but it didn't reach my eyes. "Yes, there's no place for me here now."
Soon enough, the door to Titus' room opened widely. It didn't take long before Scott stepped out of it. I didn't notice that I was holding my breath as I waited for Scott to give us an update. But he didn't say anything. He just took a deep breath as he looked at me with pity. "Are you going to say anything, Scot Scott?" I I urged him to speak. He
sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly. "He's lost parts of his memory. It seems like... the last thing he recalls is being with Lady Anna, and he's forgotten everything that happened after the event we thought killed her."
"Oh, in t
the human world, they call it retrograde amnesia," Elara interjected, her voice laced with cautious optimism as though explaining it would lessen the blow. "I heard it's only temporary." "So... he has no recollection of me or... anything else?" My voice came out in a strangled whisper.
Scott nodded, regret written across his face. "I'm afraid so, my lady."
I swallowed hard, trying to push down the emotions threatening to spill over. "Then... what happens now?"
Scott looked down, his mouth opening as if to answer, but no words came. It was Elara who finally broke the silence, stepping closer and resting a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"For now, Titus will need time to recover physically and mentally. Well, we'll just have to see," she said gently, though her eyes held a world of worry.
"Right." My voice sounded hollow even to me. "Can I see him?"
Scott exchanged a glance with Elara, as if hoping the other would find the right words. "Sage," Scott began carefully, "I think right now, your presence might be confusing him. Until he's regained his memories, it might be best if... He trailed off, uncertain. Chapter 87
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I
"If I stay away?" I finished for him, the bitterness cutting into my words. A silence settled over us, the kind that made every breath feel heavier.
I forced myself to nod. "You're right. I'll leave him to rest. The words felt like sharp-edged stones leaving my mouth. But a small part of me still hoped that stepping away might somehow help. Perhaps he'd look for me; remember something. Anything. We were in that position when the door swung open once again, but this time it was Anna and Titus who walked out of the door.
I forced myself to hold my ground as they stepped into the living room. Titus moved with a lingering stiffness, his body wrapped in fresh bandages, a testament to the brutal battle he'd survived. Yet even in his weakened state, his presence filled the room, commanding everyone's attention.
His gaze was piercing, locked onto me. But it wasn't the warm, familiar look I'd once known. His eyes, those once so full of fire when they looked my way, now held only a cold distance, almost resentment. My heart twisted painfully, struggling to accept the stranger in his expression.
Anna's hand rested possessively on his arm, her gaze flickering from me to Titus, and I couldn't help but notice the small, smug
smile she wore.
"You must be Sage," he said, his voice cutting through the silence with an edge I didn't recognize. "Anna has told me everything." she?" I replied with a cold voice..
Iried to form words, to explain, to bridge the gap that felt so agonizingly wide, but his expression silenced me.
replaced me in his present. "In respect to Anna's feelings," he added, his tone gentling ever soon't mean anything to me now." He paused, and in that instant, I could see him glancing toward Anna, who stood beside him like a ghost from his past that had somehow
The words fell heavily between us, each one colder and more cutting than the last. I could hardly believe that the man standing before me was the same Titus who once held me close and who'd looked at me as though I were his whole world. Now his gaze held nothing but polite indifference, and even that seemed forced, like he couldn't be bothered to summon even a shred of warmth. I stood there, numb as he continued. "I don't care about the things that I don't remember. They "you should leave. Go back to wherever you came from, and don't make this harder than it needs to be." Elara stepped forward, ready to defend me, but I raised a hand, stopping her. I could feel the anger welling up within me, but I swallowed it, forcing myself to nod in response to show that I could handle this and that I could walk away with dignity. But I wasn't going to let see me falter. I wouldn't give Anna the satisfaction of witnessing me crumble. Instead, I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Don't worry. I have no plans to intervene. As Anna said before, marriages to the previous king have been null and void. I'm no longer your wife," I managed, though my voice was thick with unshed tears.
him
But as I said the words, something within me hardened. I was no longer the woman who had been torn apart by his indifference and rejection. I was stronger than that, stronger than this.
I was about to step outside when his voice sliced through the air again, deep and authoritative. "One more thing," he said, sending a ripple of unease through me. The way he spoke made it sound like a command, and I felt my pulse quicken as I turned back to face him, though I could barely summon the strength to meet his gaze. "I'm going to reject you," he declared, each word falling from his lips like stones, heavy and unyielding. "So, I'm expecting you to accept it without complaint."
The air in the room seemed to freeze; the space between us was charged with unspoken history and unresolved feelings. I could feel the blood rushing to my ears as his words echoed in my mind, the finality of them striking me like a physical blow. It was as if he were wielding my heart like a weapon, intending to make a clean cut without considering the damage it would inflict. B
I swallowed hard, forcing down the flood of emotions that clawed at my throat, demanding to be set free. "If that's what you want, Your Majesty," I replied, keeping my tone as steady as possible. "But can we at least wait until you're fully healed? The pain of rejection will affect your body, especially given your current state. You haven't healed completely." I shouldn't have cared, shouldn't have let worry seep through when he'd made his choice clear, but concern for him was something I couldn't so easily erase. Before he he could respond, Anna scoffed from the other side of the room, her voice dripping with disdain. "Why? So you can use the bond to seduce Titus? Get him back under your spell." I felt a surge of anger bubble up inside me, and for once, I didn't bother to hide it. "What's the matter, Anna?" I shot back, lifting an eyebrow as I let a smirk dance across my lips. "Are you scared that his memories might come flooding back? That he'll drop you the moment he remembers everything about us?"
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Her eyes flashed with anger, and she took a step forward, as if ready to confront me. "I'm not afraid of anything," she retorted, though the tremor in her voice betrayed her. "Titus chose me, not you. He's made it clear who he wants by his side." "Has he?" I tilted my head, letting the question linger in the air. "Or is he just clinging to whatever fragments he remembers, and you happened to be part of the story that hasn't faded? But tell me this, Anna, if you're so secure in his love, why does the thought of him remembering me bother ther you so much?"
Titus shifted,
clearly growing frustrated with the tension. "Enough," he commanded, his voice rough and impatient.
The sound of his voice, filled with such finality, made my heart tighten. This wasn't the man who'd once looked at me with love and understanding, the man who'd once been my anchor. Now, he was a stranger, choosing sides without knowing the whole story. "I appreciate your concern, Sage," he said, his tone smooth but unyielding. "But I think I know myself more than you do. I can handle the pain from the rejection. That's something you don't need to worry about."
I clenched my fists, forcing myself to keep my expression neutral even as his words dug deep.
He glanced over at Anna, his gaze softening in a way that felt like a stab to my heart. "Anna is uncomfortable with our mate bond," he continued, looking back at me. "I'd like to assure her by severing it as soon as possible."
My lips pressed into a thin line, and I felt something inside me snap. His need to please Anna-this woman who'd once been a ghost in his past-was now driving him to sever the one thing that still bound us, the one thing that had once meant everything. The bond that had once felt unbreakable.
"Fine, let's do this."