Chapter 8: The Public Sacrifice

The week following Lilian's visit was a study in self-inflicted torture. I became a ghost in my own home, my every move calculated to project icy indifference. I ensured my path never crossed with Kaleb's. When reports came from the stable master about his work, I dismissed them with a bored wave, as if discussing the condition of a piece of furniture. The bond was a constant, low-grade torment, a frozen river of his confusion and my own gnawing guilt. I fed it ice, hoping to numb it into submission. The...