He shifted toward Coraline, the hard edges of his mouth softening into something that resembled tenderness. "Take Coraline here. She's maintained her clarity despite everything. She understands discretion. She's mastered the art of captivating without surrendering her value."
Something cold and heavy settled in my gut. Coraline's gaze remained locked on the food before her.
"She could teach you a thing or two," he went on, eyes back on mine.
"I believe I've had sufficient instruction," I murmured.
A chuckle escaped him, satisfaction, not umbrage. "We'll see."
I wanted to stab the smile right off his face.
He finished before either of us, setting his utensils down and dabbing at his mouth, then he rose. When he smiled at me, his eyes remained as cold.
"I'll see you at dinner. Try to look a bit more rested, Selene. A tired woman isn't a desirable one."
He then seized Coraline's chin between his thumb and forefinger, the pressure whitening her skin as he tilted her head back. His mouth claimed hers in another display of ownership, his tongue invading with dominance. The wet sound of their kiss filled the room as my stomach clenched into a hard knot. The metallic tang of seabass must have coated every corner of her mouth and his, now being swapped between their spit.
He vanished, leaving only the echo of his footsteps down the hall. The silence crashed in like a wave, drowning everything inits wake. I remained frozen, eyes fixed on my plate where the remainder of untouched fish had grown cold, and the lemon sauce had thickened into a pale crust.
It was my life in miniature. Arranged precisely, displayed beautifully, and abandoned to decay. Some days I wondered if madness might be a relief from this elegant prison. Most days, I suspected I'd crossed that threshold long ago.
I pushed my chair back and stood. The movement startled Coraline; she looked up like she’d forgotten I was still there. When I left the dining room, she followed. The echo of her heels chased mine up the grand staircase, the rhythm off-beat, anxious.
"Selene, wait—please."
I kept climbing.
"Just stop for a moment," she pleaded, her fingers catching my hem as I reached the landing. "We need to talk."
I pivoted slowly. Sunlight from the high windows sliced across her face, revealing too much and not enough. In that harsh illumination, she resembled everything I'd tried to bury, starved for real connection.
Unfortunately for her, I wouldn’t feed her a crumb if we were the last two people on earth.
“We have nothing to talk about. Nothing. Give it up already.”
She recoiled as though struck, white-knuckled against the banister. "You don’t have to be this way. I know you think I used you to get to him, but it wasn’t like that.”
“It wasexactlylike that,” I countered.
“Ilovehim," she whispered.
This woman was beyond redemption. My father was worried about me losing all rational thought in Alaric’s bed, when his mistress had long since lost hers in his.
“You—you love him?”
"I do. You're being married off soon and when you are, you'll understand how these things just happen."
"My marriage has nothing to do with love, and if you believe my father's capable of it, you're only ensuring your own misery,” I replied.
"Why are you so bitter? If you weren’t so stubborn, maybe he wouldn’t be so hard on you."
She thought I was stubborn? I caved and bent every day just to keep myself safe, smiling when my face ached from the effort, speaking when silence was all I craved. I moved through my own life like a marionette with fraying strings, my limbs jerking in a grotesque dance my father orchestrated from above.
I wasn't fucking stubborn—I was selfish in my solitude, hoarding tiny moments of peace like precious jewels, doing whatever necessary to create a sliver of space where no one's eyes followed me and no one's hands reached to hurt me.
I stared at her, my face a mask of indifference that had taken years to perfect. "I'm not bitter, Coraline. I'm observant and honest. It's not my fault you're too deluded to see that. You should run along now. I'm sure he's waiting for you somewhere in this mausoleum we call home."
I left her there without another glance, fuming inside as I went to my room, needing to get the taste of fish out of my mouth. Once in my private bathroom, I cranked the tap handle until water gushed hot and furious. I brushed and rinsed, scrubbing until my gums ached, and then gargled mouthwash.