Chapter 19

"No, no no, Conaan, please. Please, you can't do this to me, please. I was foolish, I was wrong, and you can punish me any how you want, but not this way, please. I have just discovered the home I was meant to be, the home I had so foolishly left..."

Her voice trailed off, her tears choking down on the words. She closed her eyes, her head lowered, her fingers slightly trembling from the force of her tears.

"No, Eleanor. You didn't discover the home you were meant to be. You were forced to. You were discarded, Eleanor. I hate to think that if Alexander had a place for you...that if Alexander was as faithful a lover as you thought of him, you would not be here."

She met Conaan's eyes and the ice in them had dissolved to literal tears that stopped right at his eyes. The emotions she saw made her feel even worse, and it probably was way better if he was cold.

She swallowed, then took a step further to him, her hands reaching out