Falling Sins

Chapter 3

Nazarene's gaze lingered on Levintre's face, searching for any trace of the boy she once knew. The vulnerability in his eyes quickly shifted to something more guarded, and his next words hit her like a sharp blade. "You know," he began, his tone turning cold, "this isn't what I wanted either. I never asked to be bound to you. But my father made promises, and I'm just trying to fulfill them. It's my duty, nothing more."

The bitterness in his voice stunned her, and for a moment, she couldn't find the words to respond. The warmth she'd felt moments ago, sitting by his side, was rapidly cooling into something else entirely-disbelief, hurt, and anger. "So that's all this is to you?" she asked, her voice rising as she tried to keep the hurt from spilling over. "A duty? Some burden you have to bear because your father made a promise?"

Levintre's jaw tightened, and he looked away, his gaze hardening. "What did you expect, Nazarene? That we'd pick up where we left off? That I'd come back from war ready to fall in love with a girl I barely remember? We were children. This was decided for us. I'm just trying to do what's right."

His words felt like a slap to the face, and she could feel the anger rising in her chest, hot and fierce. "What's right?" she echoed, her voice trembling with the effort to keep it steady. "What's right is living your life, Levintre, not just fulfilling someone else's idea of what that should be. I never wanted this. I never wanted to be bound to someone who sees me as nothing more than an obligation."

Levintre's eyes flashed with his own anger, but he stayed silent, his expression cold and unyielding. It was that silence, more than anything, that broke something inside her. The realization that this was how he truly felt-distant, indifferent-was more than she could bear. With a sharp intake of breath, she stood up abruptly, her fists clenched at her sides. "I won't be someone's duty," she snapped, her voice cutting through the night air. "And I refuse to be bound to someone who doesn't care."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and stormed away, her feet carrying her quickly across the festival grounds and into the open fields beyond. The cool night air hit her skin as she walked, but it did little to soothe the burning in her chest. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes, but she blinked them away, determined not to cry over him. The realization of how cold and distant he had become weighed heavily on her, but as she looked up at the stars, she knew one thing for certain-she would not let herself be trapped in a life she never chose.

Nazarene's feet pounded against the ground as she sprinted through the dark fields, the cool night air whipping against her face. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions-anger, confusion, hurt-all swirling together until they were almost too much to bear. The argument with Levintre had cut deeper than she wanted to admit, and now, the only thing she could think of was getting back home, away from the festival, away from him.

When she finally reached her family's home, she burst through the door with such force that it slammed shut behind her, rattling the walls. The familiar, comforting space felt suffocating now, the once-warm glow of the hearth now only serving to irritate her further.

Her mother and sister-in-law were seated at the table, heads bent together over a letter, their conversation animated. The moment Nazarene entered, they looked up, their faces lighting up with excitement, oblivious to the storm brewing inside her.

"Nazarene!" her mother exclaimed, holding up the letter as though it were the most wonderful thing in the world. "We've just received word from Levintre's mother-a date has been set for your matrimony! Isn't it wonderful? Now that he's back in Quuara, we can finally begin the preparations."

The words struck Nazarene like a physical blow. "A date?" she echoed, her voice shaking with disbelief. "You've already decided on a date without even talking to me? This is my life we're talking about, and you're planning it like I'm some sort of doll you can just dress up and marry off!"