Under the Veil I Rule (Amara) novel Chapter 362

“You’re already dealing with moderate depression, and you still say you’re fine?” Jenny wiped at her tears, her voice tight with worry.

“Finn, please keep an eye on her—talk to her, encourage her. My husband needs me for something, so I have to step out for a bit.”

Jenny left, and Finnian turned to Liliana. “Have you been feeling this way for a while?”

Depression never shows up overnight, he thought. Whatever Liliana was going through, it had to be about more than just the miscarriage.

Liliana lowered her gaze and said quietly, “Honestly, the stress has been overwhelming lately. Nothing’s going right, not at work, not in my personal life.”

“I’ve been so busy, I didn’t even realize how bad things had gotten. If my mom hadn’t dragged me to see a doctor, I probably still wouldn’t know I was sick. I just thought I was unhappy, that’s all.”

She paused, rubbing her palm over her eyes. “But what I did yesterday… it was a moment of weakness. Losing the baby broke me, and then you— you said you were leaving…”

Her voice cracked and fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

Clutching Finnian’s hand, Liliana looked at him with desperate hope. “Finn, have you made up your mind? Will you stay with me?”

Finnian gently withdrew his hand, standing silently for a long moment.

His profile was sharp, distant, eyes cast downward. Liliana couldn’t read his face, and she waited, anxiety twisting inside her.

At last, Finnian spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “I will.”

Just two simple words, but as soon as he said them, it felt like something hollowed out his chest—as if a piece of his heart had been carved away.

But Liliana’s face lit up with joy. She threw her arms around his, her voice trembling with relief. “Thank you, Finn, thank you! I knew you still cared! I’m so happy—I really am!”

“I don’t need a title or anything. As long as you’re here with me, that’s enough…”

He’d heard Finnian was crazy about Amara—so did she really not care? He hesitated, then pressed, “You never thought about getting back together with him?”

“Nope.”

Amara’s answer was blunt, matter-of-fact.

Hogan studied her face, searching for any sign of hesitation, but she looked completely sincere. She really didn’t seem to care about Finnian at all. He frowned, unable to make sense of it.

“You don’t like Finnian?” he asked.

Amara nodded, perfectly calm. Hogan grew agitated. “Why? What’s wrong with him? Why isn’t he good enough for you?”

He just couldn’t wrap his head around it. For the longest time, he’d found every fault with Amara, never seeing past her scars, always judging her harshly. Looking back, he realized most of his opinions had been colored by that first impression.