"Soren," she repeated, her tone firmer this time.
"You just woke up, Eris," he said smoothly, looking back into her eyes. His expression was calm, controlled, but his voice carried a rigid finality.
"The only thing that matters right now is that you are awake, and that you and the children are safe. Everything else can wait until you have recovered your strength."
Eris stared at him. In all their months together, Soren had been direct with her, even when the truth was bitter.
But now, he was building a wall between them... a wall made of gentle words and soft assurances.
'Something happened,' she thought, a cold knot forming in her stomach. 'Something terrible, and he is trying to hide it from me.'
She did not push him. The sheer effort of keeping her head upright was already exhausting her, and she knew Soren well enough to recognize when his mind was set. But she stored the suspicion away, filing it alongside Kristina's smooth evasion.
