I wake the following morning to faint sunlight, my mind foggy and my body heavy. Nausea had cramped my stomach throughout the night, jolting me from sleep several times. Ethan had stayed awake through it all—helping me sit up whenever I was sick, changing the cool washcloth on my head, rubbing my back soothingly as I rode out the sickness. Judging from the sun shining through the curtains now, it's midmorning.

Mom and my sisters had never left my side, dozing in chairs beside our bed as they each took shifts. Now, though, they're all resting—Ethan and Mom in chairs beside our bed and my sisters on the couch in our sitting room. A small smile tugs at my lips as I look over at my husband, the exhaustion and stress on his face softened by sleep.

Whether the nausea was a byproduct of the trauma I'd endured or just my body pushing itself to its limit, I don't know. Gwen offered many times to help, but they declined her offer every time. She finally fell asleep in a chair in the sitting room, the same exhaustion on her face that was on Ethan's softened by sleep. I wish I could say that my sleep had been restful, but the truth was, it had been anything but.

That same nightmare had haunted my exhausted sleep, taunting me. I kept seeing Juliette's face, hearing her voice as she hurriedly brushed off my fears. The sickly sweet sound of Queen Adelaide's voice haunted me as she did the same, her words making me want to scream. "'Lauren, you suffered a great deal of trauma at the hands of that despicable prince and his family. But Fabian got there just in time to rescue you.'"

The latter's face replaced his sister's, the concern on his face a stark contrast to the usual disdain that had been present whenever he'd looked at me. His own words had replayed in my head until I practically had them memorized. "'They tried to save face, claiming they saved you from us. But we know the truth—we saved you from them."

I shake my head now, trying to erase those memories. No matter how often I hear those words, I know the truth. They did save me. I was dying in that castle, but no one—not even my dearest friend—had noticed.

The day I married Ethan was the happiest day of my life for multiple reasons—the most prominent being that I'd finally found someone who saw me for who I was, not just my former title. A very close second was that in marrying him, I was finally free of the invisible leash the king had kept on us. When we'd moved to Maliwen, I noticed the change in Mom instantly—her smiles became genuine again, and I saw the light come back to her eyes.

With me, it had taken more time for the change to take effect. Even now, my nightmares are still of my time there, the trauma I'd endured there. Yes, my smiles and laughter are genuine, but there were days when a single touch, word, or feeling could trigger a flashback—sometimes out of the blue. Some days, it was all I could to get out of bed.

As if he hears my thoughts, Ethan opens his eyes. When they focus on me, concern softens his features. "Morning. How are you?" His voice is barely a whisper, yet still heavy with sleep.

He gently kisses my forehead as he straightens in his chair. I take a breath before I respond, exhaling deeply. "Ok." Even as the word leaves my mouth, the nightmare resurfaces in my mind, anxiety and dread forming a pit in my stomach. It's not that I'm scared to tell him—I know that he'll understand.

No, what terrifies me is tearing that wound open wider. Because I know once it's open all the way, it can never be closed again. A tear drips down my cheek onto the bedspread, and I hurriedly swipe at my face. I'm not even sad—I feel numb. His warm, strong fingers touch my chin, lifting my eyes to meet his.

"What is it?" Those eyes—the ones that had captivated me from the moment we first saw each other—hold my gaze, unwavering and firm. In them, I see everything that made me fall in love with him in the first place: his kindness, warmth, and love for his family.

"Can we talk? There's something I need to tell you." My chest tightens, and I force myself to breathe through the pain. I need to do this—as much for him as for myself.

He searches my face, notices the various emotions in my eyes, and nods. Still gripping his hand, I climb out of bed, and we quietly exit the suite. I make a beeline for my usual couch, the fire blazing across from us despite the early hour, and throw the blanket over our legs. I take another deep, steadying breath and let it out slowly.

"The day we got married was the happiest day of my life—for two reasons. One: I'd finally found someone who saw me for who I was, not just my former title, and two: I was finally free of the invisible leash the king had kept on us. I foolishly thought I could just shed my past like an old coat. But the nightmares, PTSD, and anxiety quickly proved that it wouldn't be easy."

I look down at my hands in my lap, toying with the blanket. "I had a nightmare two nights ago that..." My throat tightens, forcing me to pause. Again, not because I'm scared to tell him—but because doing so means tearing that wound open again.

"Hey." Ethan gently catches my hand, rubbing his thumb over it. "You don't have to tell me." Just like Fleetfire, he can sense my emotions.

I shake my head as I meet his gaze. "No. I need to do this. For me." Even as my voice breaks, even as I have to bite back a sob. For the first time, the words wait on my tongue, unbidden.

He doesn't press me; he holds my hand while I steady myself. "While I'm not ashamed of my past in Moonbright, I'm not proud of it, either. I let the king turn me into someone I'm not—a meek, quiet girl who blends into the shadows. I did what he told me without question, terrified of defying him. I loved—and still do—his wife, the queen, who treated me like a second daughter, and Juliette."

I skip over my past with Juliette, all of which he already knows. "But even though I'd thought I had put my time there behind me, I haven't. I have nightmares almost every night of my time there—traumatic memories I'd buried so deep I thought they'd be gone forever."

This is it. "That nightmare—dream, premonition, flashback, whatever it had been—was the most traumatic. It was right after I'd been preparing to leave Moonbright and head home—when someone knocked me out. Seconds before my head hit the floor, I heard a gruff voice, familiar and yet foreign. 'I did my part. Now it's your turn.'"

I take a shaky breath, close my eyes, then open them as I exhale. "When I woke up—or thought I did—all of my senses came back to life at once, momentarily stunning me. A weight was pressing down on my eyelids, but I eventually cracked them open.

"I heard low voices and clothing rustling as people walked past and around me. I was tied to a chair by something—rope or another material. The scent of freshly cooked food filled my nostrils, turning my stomach. I had no idea how long it'd been since the last time I'd eaten.

"A low, gruff voice filled my ears, forcing me to bite back the cry that threatened to escape. 'Good. You're awake. Now, smile and eat your breakfast before it gets cold.' My eyes popped open, a frightened gasp slipping past my lips. Juliette sat beside me, the king and queen across from me. Fabian sat across from Juliette beside the king. They all wore the same polite smiles and ate their food as if nothing were wrong."

I have to bite back a sob and breathe through the tremor that shudders through my body. "'W-where am I?' I'd stammered, breathing shakily. The answer hit me before the king had even opened his mouth. I was back in Moonbright, in the dining room where I'd eaten most of my meals with the royal family. But that didn't make any sense. I had just been in the stables... I pressed a hand to my head, groaning slightly. Hadn't I?"

Ethan squeezes my hand, not saying anything. His calming presence is the only thing keeping me from breaking down completely. "Then Queen Adelaide spoke, her sickly sweet voice almost making me gag. 'Lauren, you suffered a great deal of trauma at the hands of that—'" My voice suddenly breaks off, catching on a sob.

A minute passes before I can continue. "'Despicable prince and his family.'" The words are like poison, yet I continue through gritted teeth, trapping the sobs in my throat. I can't even look up at Ethan as I say the words; my focus is on my tightly clasped hands in my lap.

"I looked across the table to where Fabian was nodding, concern in his features. 'They tried to save face, claiming they saved you from us. But we know the truth—we saved you from them.' There was a glint of concern in his eyes that I'd never seen before. The sight sent chills down my spine." I suck in a tight breath, then release it slowly.

"The king suddenly spoke then, his gruff voice grating on my senses. 'You're home, Lauren. Everything can go back to the way it was.'" I finally look up as the words leave my mouth, immediately wishing I hadn't. Ethan's teeth are gritted so hard that the cords stand out on his neck.

Despite my knowing that his anger is not directed at me—could never be directed at me—a chill runs down my spine nonetheless. I swallow hard as I continue. "Panic rushed through me rapidly, making my heart race. My voice rose with each word. 'No! Y-you're wrong! He did save me! I was dying here!'"

My voice breaks on the last word. "I cast a desperate look at Juliette, my eyes pleading with hers. As I met her gaze, however, I knew that no help would come from her. 'Mom's right, Lauren. You're safe now. Everything can go back to the way it was.'" I let out a ragged breath.

"And that's when you woke up," he finishes for me. I nod, suddenly exhausted. The sound of a door opening nearby makes me turn my head. When my sisters' figures appear in the distance, I have to swallow another sob.

My entire body suddenly feels like it's made of stone. "Lauren?" Nic's muffled voice fills my ears. "What happened? Is she okay?" The questions are directed at Ethan, so I don't try to answer.

I can hardly keep my eyes open, yet moving seems an impossibility. Slowly, with my sisters on either side and Ethan at my back, we make our way to our suite. I don't even make it to the bedroom. Ethan catches me just as I begin to falter, the couch in the sitting room breaking my fall. He pulls a blanket over me, the motions soothing.

The weight of the past 24 hours hits me like a freight train. My mind doesn't want to sleep—I'm too afraid of what might lurk in unconsciousness—but my body has other plans. Ethan gently kisses my head, squeezing my shoulder. "I love you." I'm asleep before the words even finish echoing.

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