Page 129 of Hand-Fasting and Other Hazards
Nia stared at him, the tears blurring her vision. “You asked me not to lie. To be honest with you. But this whole time, you were both lying to me. And he’s been lying to me for so much longer.”
She stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as she stormed past him, her steps quick and unsteady as she descended the stairs.
“Nia, wait!” Lochlan called after her, desperate.
She spun on him, her fury like a tidal wave. “No! You don’t get to tell me what to do.” Her voice broke as the tears spilled faster. “You lied to me, and it hurts. I don’t know what to do, where to go. It just hurts so much.”
Lochlan reached out, his hand moving toward her like he could somehow fix everything with a touch.
Nia recoiled, her whole body jerking back as though he’d struck her. “How could you?” Her voice shook, betrayal twisting in her chest.
Lochlan froze. For a moment, he looked lost, his mouth opening and closing before he finally spoke as his hand dropped to his side. “I… needed time,” he said, his words halting and unsure. “I wanted to give you all her diaries once they were repaired. So you could have a piece of her, have the whole story.”
Nia’s stomach churned as she watched him, his shoulders sagging as he laughed bitterly.
“It sounds so stupid now.” He ran a hand through his hair, his voice breaking as he continued. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I just… I love you so much it scared me. The idea of losing you scared me. The idea of Wulfric taking away everything else I’ve known and worked for if I told you…” He shook his head. “I didn’t know what to do.”
The words hit her like a physical blow. She stood there, staring at him, unable to move or speak.
Lochlan’s gaze dropped to the floor, his voice quieter now. “But I went to your father this morning,” he said. “I told him I’m done lying to you.”
Nia let out a short, bitter laugh, the sound harsh even to her own ears. “You went to him?” she said, her voice breaking. “Again, you went to him, instead of coming to me? I feel like… I’m going to explode.”
Lochlan took a step closer, his expression desperate. “What do you need?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted, her hands shaking as she wiped at her face. “I hate this. You lied to me. And you were working with him?”
Lochlan flinched. “Not like that. Not with the marriage.” His voice was raw, pleading. “I swear to you, Nia—I didn’t know. I had nothing to do with it.” His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. “When Wulfric told us what he’d done, I was as blindsided as you were. I had no idea he was your father, no idea what he was planning—I didn’t know he had a daughter at all.”
She shook her head. “More lies.”
“No.” He took another step forward, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “I won’t lie to you. Not now. Not ever again.” His exhale was slow, unsteady. “I knew he had plans, that this marriage wasn’t just about you. Or me.” His jaw clenched. “But I didn’t understand, couldn’t guess what they were. Not until Dover.”
Her breath caught, fury slicing through her like a blade. “Dover,” she repeated, voice low, shaking. “So you knew then. And you still kept it from me?”
Lochlan didn’t answer.
Nia’s vision blurred again, but she refused to blink. “How could you look at me every day, knowing what you knew, and say nothing?”
“I wanted to tell you.” He looked brittle, breakable, like something within him had collapsed. “I should have told you.”
“Damn right you should have.”
Lochlan took a ragged breath. “Please,” he said, his voice breaking. “Don’t give up on this. On us.”
She didn’t trust herself to answer.
“I’ll leave,” he said quietly. “I’ll give you time. Just… stay here. Please.”
He backed away, his steps slow and measured, as though worried the wrong move might shatter her.
“I’m sorry,” Lochlan whispered, more to himself than to her. “I wanted this so much… and I was afraid of losing it all.”
Nia stayed rooted in place, watching as he opened the front door and slipped out, the soft click of the latch echoing in the silence. The moment he was gone, her knees buckled. She crumbled to the floor as sobs wracked her body, loud and messy. Jade padded over, her wet nose nudging Nia’s arm gently as the dog curled against her, offering quiet comfort as Nia clung to her warmth.
The back door burst open with a deafening bang.
Nia’s head shot up, her heart caught in a battle between fury and hope.
