Viola felt her throat go dry under the way he regarded her, and then her gaze shifted to the still pool, where the mermaid had used the water as a pathway back home. Her palms grew sweaty as she struggled to find the right words to say to him. She knew how hard he had worked to capture the mermaid, believing her heart was the key to curing his brother and breaking the curse that had kept him from marking Viola.
The silence between them became suffocating.
When she could barely breathe through it anymore, Viola took a hesitant step toward him.
"Seb, I did—"
But he stepped back.
His eyes were red-rimmed around the silver, his expression that of a man defeated, betrayed by the very person he least expected to hurt him. He turned his back on her and walked away without saying a single word.
His footsteps echoed through the silence as he disappeared into the shadowed corridor, leaving Viola standing there alone.
For the first time, the full weight of what she'd done hit her.
