Him.

Chapter XV

Erik took the long ride home, clutching the new music he acquired the day prior in his lap. It was the only thing he had left of her, for Haya had chosen to fulfill her duty as queen.

Erik wasn't sure, even then, that his decision to convince her to go was the right one. It just felt wrong.

When he arrived home, there was a familiar carriage in the drive, and Erik immediately recognized it as Philippa's brother's. The horses were tied, and everything looked neat and clean.

It was late in the night, darkness swelled around his home, but there was a few candles lit, illuminating certain parts of the house.

It felt good to be home after such a long ride, and his bags were heavier than he originally thought as he carried them to the door. Slipping his key in, Erik wedged his way into the house.

The heavy bags dropped from his hands in a loud clap, however, when he spotted his wife on the couch, pushed down by her brother who was kissing her.

The sound startled them both, alerting them to his presence as they nearly clambered to look presentable, yet they knew it was too late.

"Erik," Philippa whined, getting up to approach him.

"Don't you dare," Erik said sharply, holding his hand out before the wretched woman could even come close. His chest was heaving in anger.

"You'll have to understand," her brother tried to amend as he, too, stood to talk with the pair.

"No!" Erik yelled, ignoring Philippa's protest that her children were sleeping. "I don't have to understand anything! Tell me, in all honesty, why you can do whatever with your brother, but you cannot accept Haya into your home?"

"Is that where you were then?" Philippa retorted, "With her?"

Erik's eyes lit with fury, much scarier than his demeanor doing so, "NO! You blasted woman, don't turn this on me! I'm not the one who is unfaithful, you are!"

Philippa looked in tears as she held onto her stomach, but Erik didn't miss the gesture.

"The children?"

More tears fled down the porcelain white cheeks of his wife. She shook her head as sobs emitted from her throat, her brother encompassing her in an embrace.

"Why? What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing!" She sobbed into the other man's chest, one who held her like a lover and certainly not in a familial way.

"What did I do?" Erik yelled, his head hurting.

"You did nothing! For god's sake, man, can you not hear?" Her brother hissed.

"I don't think you of all people should be bringing God into this," Erik scolded the man holding his wife.

"I think you should go," he retorted as Philippa sobbed harder.

"I want my answer first. Why?" Erik demanded.

"Because!" Philippa screeched, "I don't love you! I never did, I saw pity in you and a chance to be with the man I truly love. That is why."

Erik didn't need to hear anything else as he quickly gathered his belongings and left. He gathered everything he could while avoiding everyone in the house, damning his wife and her brother. For all he cared, they could rot in hell. He just felt bad for the children he'd grown to love, but it made sense. Every time she seemingly came back from an extended visit to her brother's she'd come back pregnant. It all made twisted and disgusting sense.

Somewhere along the road to god-only-knew where, Erik had ripped his ring off of his finger and chucked it far, not caring he probably could have sold it for good money. That didn't matter. The twisted life he led didn't matter much to him either.

Eventually, he realized his carriage was headed south, as if unconsciously headed towards Italy where he could board a boat to Haya's country. Maybe, just maybe, he could reach the person with whom he truly belonged.

Erik took it as a sign from God, that everything happened for a reason. This happening just happened to be his reason and his sign, that way across a sea was the place he was meant to be.