Horrified agony was etched deep into his features.

She felt as if she’d been hit with a blow. “Darling?”

He didn’t move. His gaze on the floor, he sat there as if he were comatose.

“Sweetie?”

Still, he didn’t respond in any way. It was as if the pain was so great that all he could do to survive it was to withdraw from everything. Even her.

Wanting to soothe him, she reached to brush her hand through his hair.

He jerked away. “Don’t touch me!” Those snarled words brought tears to her eyes. Pain bled from every pore of his body. He was aching on a level she couldn’t imagine. No one should ever be so hurt.

Darling couldn’t think as memories surged and brought him to his knees.

But the worst was having Zarya see it…

Why would the gods do this to him? Why did they make her see his shame?

Needing to withdraw from her and the pain of his past, he slid off the bed and headed for the bathroom. He only took three steps before his jerking vision unbalanced him and sent him to the floor.

He ground his teeth as his fury mounted. I can’t even walk myself to the fucking toilet…

Arturo had been right after all. He was a useless piece of shit, unfit to breathe, never mind run an empire.

Suddenly, Zarya was there, helping him to his feet.

With no choice, he allowed her to put him back in bed. Something that didn’t help his ego at all. I’m so worthless…

She brushed the hair back from his face. “Bad things happen to decent people, Darling. It’s so wrong, but—”

“Don’t you dare patronize me!” he snarled.

“I’m not. Believe me, I’m not.” She gestured toward the bedroom door that led to the hall. “My mother and sister were killed in this palace. Brutally. Why? Because they dared to ask an old friend for mercy. A friend. Someone my mother had known most of her life. A man we’d all sat down to dinner with. She didn’t deserve that any more than you deserve what was done to you.”

“I know that, Zarya. I do. Just as I know the horror and shame of that video won’t kill me—even though I’ve wished a million times that it would. I’ve been forced to live with it being thrown in my face for years. I… I just need a minute to catch my breath and cope, okay?”

Zarya hesitated. Did he really need to be left alone? She wasn’t sure. But then he’d never asked that of her before. Surely he wouldn’t send her away if he needed her.

Deciding to give him some time to himself, she relented. “All right, sweetie. I’ll go see Maris. Call me if you need anything.”

He responded with a single nod.

Her heart breaking for him, she left his room. Fain and Hauk looked up from where the two of then were sitting on the floor, against the opposite wall.