Someday when Kaden left her, Lina was sure the memories would haunt him for good. Lina knew there was no eternity with a man who went off to war. They'd die in battle. They'd risk their life for the country.
And Lina? She was an heiress by blood. If Altan didn't want her anymore, if the Medeors rejected her, and if the Yangs hated her, she could always be sold off to another man. He'd be older, his breath putrid, and his divorces endless.
Lina knew the two of them could never last. She was naive, but not stupid. She was knowledgeable about the future. She knew there would be no future. No marriage.
In the end, it would just be a fling.
So, Lina pretended she wouldn't leave this room heartbroken. She pretended they would last. She pretended this generation of her family wouldn't be wiped from history, burned, and forgotten for how sinful of an act she had committed.
"What are you thinking about, dove?"
"I do not know."
