That night, Arabella sat on the rooftop, lost in a daze as she watched the moon slowly swallowed by creeping darkness. Her green eyes, fixed on the dimming sky, could only remember how the moon once looked, so full and luminous, gleaming like silver jewelry against velvet black. But back then, she hadn't been alone beneath it.
Cassius had been with her.
She could still feel the ghost of his lips brushing her neck, his large hands wrapping around her like a shield. His touch had always been cold, just a little too cold, but she had grown to welcome the shiver it sent through her. Somehow, it had always felt good.
Being near him made her happy. His touch comforted her. His smile, rare and fleeting, had a way of settling the storm in her chest.
And now… that same man would either be sentenced to death by tomorrow's court or stripped of his throne.
Which fate was better?
Neither.
