Then slowly, she walked toward him.
Barefoot.
Tired.
Still carrying that strange emotional distance around her like an invisible wall.
Alaric remained seated on the couch, though his body instinctively stiffened slightly as she stopped a few feet away from him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The city lights reflected faintly across the living room while the silence between them grew heavier by the second.
Then finally, Elena spoke.
"I won't say that I'm a good girl," she said calmly. "Or that I'll become a good wife to you."
Alaric frowned immediately.
"Wait." He looked at her carefully. "Where exactly is this conversation going?"
Elena ignored the question at first.
"And I certainly don't expect you to stay faithful to me either, Alaric."
That made him stare at her completely.
"What are you talking about?"
Her expression remained strangely composed despite the exhaustion visible in her eyes.
