I'm Not Gonna Sugarcoat It

Eventually she figured it would be safe to tell Tiberius the truth, how her parents had forced her hand to marry him, by threatening her family. Well, she hoped at least, there was always the possibility that he’d side with her parents, she needed to get to know him better before she could safely make that decision.

She didn’t realise just how close to her she was keeping the bag she’d brought herself, it wasn’t a very big bag, but it held things in it that were very dear to her, things she’d had on her when her parents had ‘collected’ her, things that were actually hers and not simply bought in the last few days to keep up appearances. She looked up when Tiberius spoke to her, then looked out the carriage window, and then back at Tiberius. The first step in getting back to her family was getting away from her parents, so the faster they left, the happier she would be.

She managed a small, genuine smile and replied, **No running or screaming from me. I'm ready to face whatever lies ahead.** Her voice was determined, a faint glimmer of strength shining through the uncertainty. She wondered how Tiberius would feel if and when he found out the truth about her, would he be enraged at her, or at her parents for what they did to her and the position they put her in. She just couldn’t be sure yet, but the further they got from her parents, the more her true personality would shine through, without the risk of her parents ire at her.

You must be excited to be getting home. It was probably the first genuine thing she’d said to Tiberius since meeting him, but not having her parents breathing down her neck did wonders for her personality.