“Denna, the truth is that I wish it were me, and not Thandi, who you were slated to marry. I’d suffer the crown if it meant a life with you.” Every word hurt. I had pulled out my still-beating heart and laid it on the floor before her. There was only one more thing to say. “I love you.”

“Denna, the truth is that I wish it were me, and not Thandi, who you were slated to marry. I’d suffer the crown if it meant a life with you.” Every word hurt. I had pulled out my still-beating heart and laid it on the floor before her. There was only one more thing to say. “I love you.”

— Audrey Coulthurst