He hesitates but nods and steps back. He will witness and report back to the councilors that the tithe was paid. And once it’s over, Mercedes will be free. They will not be able to punish her for this.

It’s that thought that gives me the courage to step between the ancient wooden beams worn by centuries of use. It’s her face I see as I wrap the chains around my hands where I would have been secured and hold tight. And it’s her eyes I envision looking up at me in that way she has when she’s lying in my arms as I nod, and it begins.

25

Mercedes

“Santi, what does that mean?” I wring my hands together in my lap as we sit outside the courtroom, waiting in stilted silence.

My brother’s been staring at the wall for the last ten minutes, and I can’t get a read on him.

“I don’t know just yet,” he answers quietly.

I don’t believe for one second that’s true, but I also know there’s no point in pushing him when he’s like this. He seems lost in his own thoughts, and I’m not expecting him to say anything else. So when he turns to me with anguish in his eyes, it unsettles me deeply.

“I’ve been unfair to you,” he rasps. “I didn’t… I didn’t realize.”

“What?” I blink up at him, my eyes burning with more emotion I want to blame on the hormones but can’t.

“I was so angry with you.” He shakes his head, disgusted by the admission. “I shouldn’t have been so cruel that night.”

I turn my gaze to the floor, understanding this is his guilt. He saw the video, and it clearly rattled apart the image he had concocted in his own mind. Though, I’m not certain what kind of person he must have believed me to be if he truly thought I went to Lana’s apartment to murder her in cold blood.

“I knew it never fit,” he goes on. “But I had to hold on to my anger. After everything you’d done—”

“I know.” I close my eyes and swipe at the tears that fall. “I’m sorry, Santi.”

He reaches toward me, his hand pausing before he touches my shoulder hesitantly. When I meet his gaze, I can see that he’s still the same old Santi in many ways. He’s awkward with affection and comfort, but it’s obvious his wife has softened him in that aspect too.

“We will put this behind us soon,” he promises me. “And you’ll be a part of our lives again. We’ll figure out a way to—”