Mara’s POVA stinging ache at the center of my forehead precedes the movement of my eyelids—showing the first glimpse of a blurry ceiling over me as my eyes fluttered open slowly to find that I was all alone in my bedroom.I felt a sharp pain in my head as I ran a hand through my hair, trying to recall all that had happened previously resulting in me blacking out. I grunted in my pillow looking over to the clock wondering how long I’d been out.In a couple of minutes, I perked up to my feet with my eyes glued to the curtains of my bedroom as I had it pulled open in seconds letting in all the light I could at a time.The garden afar reflected the full heat of noon and though it ought to have been filled with the noise of the servants of the house and guards, lawn mowers, it was quiet. I squinted through the day’s brightness trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening downstairs and why there were suddenly guards mounted everywhere.“Was there an attack?” I asked myself, holding on
Duncan's POV "This is so frustrating, I was this close, so close to getting it," I muttered, hitting my fist on the table. "Come on, it wasn't your fault. If you knew Mara would be there, you would have done better. I know you, and I know you aren't dumb," Tails muttered looking out of the window. "I know right? But come on if I had what I was looking for. It would be a different story right now. We won't even be talking about this," I walked towards the mirror. "That's what you think right? You never can tell if it was the moon goddess at work. Who knows what was going to happen if you got the file you were looking for?" She asked, tilting her head towards me. I chuckled, shaking my head, "Are you trying to say there's something positive from me not having the file?" She nodded her head, placing her hands on my shoulder. "Listen to me Duncan. Sometimes things happen in life that make us think we could do better. But at times, it's just nature helping us to experience something g
Mara's POV My jaw ticked at the sight of Talia in front of me. Her laughter echoed through the hallway as they all had her surrounded. The elders, the guests, and other maidens of the house. I paused for a second, watching her from a distance. Knowing she was bound to put up a show. "Talia!" I called out through gritted teeth. Headed in her direction with a forced smile creased on my face. I moved forward with my arms stretched out, Pulling her in for a hug. Talia's eyes narrowed for a second as I approached her, but she just smiled and opened her arms to reciprocate the hug. "Mara, darling!" Talia exclaimed, her voice dripping with false sincerity. "It's so wonderful to see you!" I pulled back from her embrace, my weird smile still spreading across my face. "Talia, you look good," I said, scanning her from head to toe. "I see you’re still surrounded by admirers." Talia laughed, her eyes filled with amusement. "Mara, you know me too well. I'm just a social butterfly, you know I
Mara's Pov I ushered her in as if to give her a warm welcome. I watched Talia enter the room, her confident stride and bright smile making my stomach twist with anxiety. Rhys had been watching all along without saying a word or doing anything. Rhys stood up, his expression unreadable, and I felt a swing of fear. Did he still love Talia? Did he love me at all? Will the return of Talia be the end of our marriage? What if he left me for her since she was his fiance? I had a lot of questions on my mind but I pretended like everything was perfectly fine. "Hey, Talia! Come on in!" I said, forcing a warm smile out of my face. My insides were boiling with rage, I didn’t want to sincerely let Talia into my home. But I had no choice but to let her in. I know how cunning and manipulative Talia could be. I wasn’t going to let her and I’m definitely not putting my marriage on the line. Talia isn’t a toy to be riffed with, she’s a a green snake under green grass,a monster in disguise, a us
Mara’s pov I woke up from my thoughts and turned to face Talia. My eyes locked on hers, My expression, a mix of both guilt and regret. "Talia, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t save you that night. I said barely above a whisper.” Talia's expression immediately turned cold, her eyes flicking with bitterness and anger. "You should be sorry, Mara, Talia spat out. You promised to protect me, and you failed, like the failure You’ve always been." I felt a sting from her words, I was taken aback. My eyes widened in shock. Talia sounded like I caused it all. Talia, I did everything I could, I stammered trying to defend myself. Talia burst out laughing even before I could finish, "Oh, Mara, I'm just kidding! Talia exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Don't look so serious!” My face turned cold, anger and embarrassment filled my mind. "Talia, that's not funny, I yelled. That's not something to joke with.” Talia rolled her eyes, her smile faltering for a moment. "Sorry, Mara. I wa
Mara’s Pov "Well, that was fun," Felix said, Rolling his eyes. Yara sighed. "I'm so sorry about that, I don’t know what exactly is wrong with Talia.” Mara shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Talia's just being Talia." Let’s just ignore her and enjoy the party we’re here for. Yara said. I tried to forget about Talia’s presence and enjoy the party but I just couldn’t get her off my mind, and so the rest of the day became filled with awkward moments and conversations. As the sun began to set, I was happy to see the day come to an end, as Talia would be leaving, I thought to myself. I said my goodbyes to Felix and Yara and thanked them for coming. As they walked away, Felix turned to me and whispered, "You know, I think Talia might be more trouble than she's worth." I nodded in agreement. "hopefully to get rid of Talia's toxic presence after the party. I rolled my eyes as I watched Talia linger around like she owned the place, even after the party had died down. “I’ve been hop
Rhys povI stared at the walls in my room, overwhelmed by thoughts. How could Talia be spending the night here? I couldn't get over what had happened earlier tonight.I only watched as Talia begged Mara to let her stay at our home, for the night, her eyes pleading and pitiful. I know Talia isn't going to leave by morning even if she said so. I know Talia too well she had her plans.Mara was hesitant, and I could understand why. Talia and Mara were enemies, and the tension between them was too high.But despite my reservations, I couldn't bring myself to turn Talia away. Not yet, at least.So I just stood there and watched as Mara made the decision herself. I wished I could say something but I couldn't. Talia was my fiance, I had married Mara because of how things turned out to be.But lately, I found myself loving her……I was lost in thoughts. As the night wore on, I noticed that Mara seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable.She'd only sleep for a few minutes and then wake up
Rhys PovAs Talia walked away, I couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt and regret for letting her stay for a few more days.I knew I had made the right choice in choosing Mara, but I also knew that Talia was still a fragile person."Talia, wait!" I called out, running after her.She turned around, her eyes flashing with anger. "What do you want, Rhys? She yelled""I just wanted to make sure you're okay," I said, sounding sincere.Talia laughed. "You're worried about me? After what you did? I thought you said your wife would get angry seeing us together?""I know I hurt you, Talia. But I'm trying to make amends.""Amends?" Talia repeated, her voice rising. "You think you can just apologize and everything will be okay? You broke my heart, Rhys. You chose Mara over me."You went as far as marrying her in a short period of time just because you thought I was dead, without even confirming if I'm dead or not""I know, Talia. And I'm sorry. But I love Mara now. I want to be with her."Tali