To Tempt a Viking by Willingham Michelle

Author:Willingham, Michelle [Willingham, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Viking, Historical Romance, Irish, Ireland, Vikings, Warrior, Warriors, Love Story, General, Romance, Historical, Fiction
ISBN: 9781460325216
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2014-02-01T08:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Styr appeared stunned at her proclamation and no one spoke in the house. When Elena caught a glimpse of Ragnar’s reaction, his expression, too, was unreadable. Whether or not he cared, she could not say.

Better to leave now and let them believe what they would. She walked outside, returning to the house she’d shared with Styr. A lightheaded sensation rippled through her. It was done now.

He would not have admitted defeat, but she loved him enough to let him go. There was no sense in holding on to something that was never meant to be.

She heard his long strides approaching from behind her. ‘You think to divorce me? Just like that, with no word of explanation?’

He gave her no opportunity to answer before he lashed out again. ‘Why? I thought you wanted to try again!’

But there was no sense in trying, when his heart belonged to another. Whether or not he would admit it to himself, she could see it.

‘We don’t belong together, Styr. We never did and the gods refused to give us children.’

It was a possible reason, though she didn’t truly believe that. In her heart, she suspected the fault had always been with her.

‘Did I make you that miserable?’ he demanded.

‘Yes! And don’t tell me I didn’t do the same to you.’ She stood, facing him with anger of her own. Whether he’d meant to or not, he’d made her unhappy every time he’d looked at her with disappointment. Every time he’d held his silence, while she’d done her best to make him love her.

In the end, she couldn’t force him to have feelings for her. And she was weary of trying to shape herself into the woman he wanted instead of the woman she was.

Elena gripped her hands together to stop them from shaking. ‘You tried. Both of us tried, but you were never happy. It doesn’t have to be this way.’

At least, not for him. He had a woman who adored him. A woman whom he wanted...and she would never forget the sight of them embracing.

‘I saw the way you looked at her, Styr. I saw the way she held you. She loves you. And you love her, the way you never loved me.’

She wanted to cry again, but instead it was a resonant pain that squeezed her heart. When he came up behind her and held her, it was not the embrace of a man who regretted what she’d done. There was thankfulness in it.

He never would have divorced her. He would have lived out the rest of his life, dreaming of someone else he could never have. And for that reason, she’d made the right choice. At least one of them could be happy now.

‘I want you to go to her,’ Elena said softly. ‘Marry her, if she’s the one you want. And perhaps you’ll have the sons I could never give you.’

‘What about you?’ He spoke quietly, but there was compassion in his tone.

‘I’ll stay here for now. I don’t know where I’ll go after that.

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