The second session was harder.
The sky was overcast. The wind bit through their coats.
The garden felt less like a sanctuary and more like a courtroom.
Seraphina was pacing.
"I can't do this," she said. She was wringing her hands. "The hearing is in two days. I should be reviewing the property deeds."
"Damien has the deeds," Marcus said. He was leaning against a tree.
He looked relaxed. It was a calculated pose.
"We need to talk about the guilt."
"I don't have guilt," Seraphina lied. "I have grief."
"You have guilt," Marcus corrected. "You have a mountain of it."
He stepped into her path. She stopped pacing.
"You feel guilty because you survived," Marcus said.
"He was a soldier," she deflected. "It was war. I accept the risks."
"You feel guilty because your career took off after he died," Marcus pressed.
Seraphina flinched. "That's not fair. I worked hard."
"And you feel guilty," Marcus said, lowering his voice, "because you like me."
