Chapter 34

Alistair’s POV “Why did you marry me?”

Her voice was quiet but loaded with meaning, and when I stayed silent, I saw the disappointment flicker across her eyes. How could I answer when I didn’t know the reason myself? Slipping the ring onto her finger had been nothing more than a reflex—an instinct I never questioned until that one extraordinary night. Before then, I always had a clear rationale for every significant choice. But that evening, I imagined her—a small, unfamiliar woman in a flowing white gown—and without a second thought, I took off my own ring and placed it on her finger. Since then, I’d become a man even I barely understood.

She was seated by the window again, her profile outlined in the fading twilight. I sighed, more to steady my own nerves than any practical purpose. How was I supposed to explain that I’d proposed without thinking, that I’d surrendered my mind to whatever enchantment had bound me to her? After spending the night at her side, I found mys