What little remained of Cassian’s assets was swallowed whole by restitution.

He left the marriage with roughly what he had accused me of being worth: nothing.

I did not marry Cormac right away, and this matters to me, so I’ll say it plainly.

He never once asked me to trade one dependence for another.

He never mistook my gratitude for my heart, never let the rescue become a claim.

He seemed to understand, without my ever explaining it, that a woman who has just escaped being owned needs, more than anything, to belong to no one for a while — even to a good man.