I frown. “‘Thank you’ works, too, you know.”
“Fuck that,” he growls. “You made a stupid decision.”
I bristle. “I was trying to stop him from killing you.”
“You didn’t stop him. You just postponed things.”
“Meaning what? You’ve given up?”
“I never said that.”
“No? Then what are you saying?” I prod.
He closes his eyes for a moment. I can see the frustration all over his face and it just makes me sad. Emotional. Fucking heartbroken.
Because I’ve done this for him. I’ve walked into a lifetime of servitude for him.
And apparently, all that gets me is anger and frustration.
Then it hits me. Just because I’m at a point where I think that’s a worthy tradeoff, doesn’t mean he is. Maybe, like always, I’ve read the situation completely wrong. I take half a step back from the window, thoughts churning. That seems to catch his attention.
“Renata.”
“What?”
“Don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“Shut down,” he says.
“Right. Sorry,” I say bitterly. “You’re the only one who has the right to shut down. Is that right?”
He meets my gaze. “I told you, I fucking told you to stay—”
“I know,” I snap. “I fucking know. And you were right. I shouldn’t have left. But I did.”
“Why?” he demands.
“Because I wanted answers, Kian!” I tell him. “I wanted to know who my mother was. I wanted to know what she was to my father. What he was to her. The only person with those answers was Drago. And I thought if I got him out, then he’d tell me.”
“And did he?”
I sigh. “He gave me just enough to make me think he knew everything. And then he called Rokiades.”
“What was the plan, Renata?” Kian asks scathingly. “Did you even have one?”
His tone is cutting, but I know I deserve it. My hand wanders to my stomach. I’m glad he can’t see the gesture from his vantage point. The truth is on the tip of my tongue, but I swallow it down.
Now is not the time.
“I had a plan,” I admit. “It wasn’t fully-formed, but I had one.”
“Care to share it with me now? Just for curiosity’s sake.”
“I was going to get the truth from Drago, get back on shore, and get as far away from this city as possible.”
“That’s a pretty shitty plan, all things considered.”