Undoing What Was Done

**Shaira's POV**

When we finally reached the outskirts of Sagoria, a sense of unease settled over me. I had imagined this moment over and over, but nothing could prepare me for the reality we faced. From a distance, Sagoria seemed like a quiet place, but I could feel the weight of people’s eyes, an invisible pressure surrounding me, as if they already knew who I really was.

The path leading to the village was bordered by thick vegetation, but the dirt trails, worn down from years of use, were beginning to widen. The houses were small, many built from wood and thatch, with roofs that seemed barely able to withstand the torrential jungle rains. The air was heavy and humid, filled with the buzz of insects and the distant murmur of the river.

“We’re close,” Angro murmured, his voice low but firm. His hand still held mine, as if that could keep us safe from whatever lay ahead.

Sagoria was different from Zuwua. Though both villages shared the same opranchi roots, everything here felt more dangerous, more unstable. Being so close to the eteri base, the loyalties of its inhabitants seemed divided. Some leaned towards the opranchi, but it was rumored that others maintained secret dealings with the eteri. Sagoria had always been a kind of gray zone, a place where the line between friend and foe was difficult to discern.

“We have to be careful,” I whispered. “We don’t know whose side they’re on.”

Angro nodded, but his eyes remained focused on the horizon, searching for any sign of the next step we needed to take. My chest tightened at the possibility of being recognized. We were closer than ever to the eteri base, and every face I saw seemed like a potential threat. If anyone identified me as the lieutenant everyone believed to be dead, our situation could quickly become desperate.

We walked cautiously through the narrow village streets, trying not to attract attention. People came and went, going about their daily routines, but I felt that some gazes lingered on us too long. My heart pounded, and the cold sweat trickling down my back reminded me just how fragile our safety was at that moment.

“Assu is probably at the market,” Angro said in a low voice, leaning closer to me. “He likely spends his mornings there, picking up supplies.”

Just hearing Assu’s name made me shiver. I had lived with the lie of that marriage for so long that facing him now seemed unreal. I knew Assu hadn’t been aware of the role he would play in my fate, but still, his willingness to help us now was uncertain.

“What if he doesn’t agree?” The doubt in my voice was palpable, and I couldn’t help but let my thoughts wander to the possible consequences. Assu could refuse, could reject dissolving the marriage, and if he did, we’d be trapped with no way out.

“He will,” Angro responded with more confidence than I felt. “If he refuses, we’ll find another way, but he’ll have to do it.”

There was something in his words that didn’t manage to reassure me. Assu wasn’t a man I knew well, and while the village wasn’t large, the fact that he was so close to the eteri base complicated everything. If he suspected something, if he decided to betray us…

As we approached the market, the bustle of people grew more intense. Vendors shouted to attract customers, and the villagers moved back and forth, buying food, daily items, and goods brought from other places. My body tensed instinctively at the sight of so much activity. The risk of being recognized by someone familiar was greater than I had anticipated.

“There,” Angro gestured with an almost imperceptible nod of his head. In the distance, among a group of vendors, I saw Assu. He was crouched, inspecting merchandise at one of the stalls, as if it were just another ordinary day. The calmness of his posture, his casual way of interacting with others, sharply contrasted with the inner storm I was feeling.

I didn’t know how he would react to seeing us, especially me. Would he recognize the gravity of our request? Or would he see me as the same woman who had once lied to save herself? I wasn’t sure what to expect, but we couldn’t keep delaying the inevitable.

“Are you ready?” Angro asked, his expression serious but filled with support.

I nodded, though I wasn’t entirely sure if I was. Still, I knew there was no turning back. This was the only way to free ourselves from the weight we carried.

We approached him slowly, trying to go unnoticed in the crowd. With every step, my breathing quickened, and I felt my hands begin to tremble slightly. The idea of facing him, of asking him for something as important as the dissolution of our false marriage, made me feel vulnerable, exposed.

When we finally got close enough, Assu looked up, and his eyes met mine. At first, he didn’t seem to recognize us, but then his expression changed. His gaze darkened slightly, a mix of surprise and uncertainty, as if he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or betrayed by our presence.

“Shaira…” His voice was rough, almost incredulous. “I thought… I didn’t think you’d come back.”

The air between us grew even tenser. There was no doubt that Assu was surprised, but what truly worried me was what he would do with that surprise. Angro stepped forward, always protective, but I raised a hand, signaling him to let me speak.

“Assu,” I began, my voice firm though my insides trembled. “I’ve come so you can undo the marriage, nothing more. I don’t need anything else.”

He narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming more cautious. I struggled to find the right words, but I knew we couldn’t be vague. We had to be direct. “I need you to dissolve the marriage. What we said before Owan… was a lie, a lie that saved my life. But now, I need you to free me from that lie.”

The silence that followed was so heavy I could barely breathe. I could see the conflict in his face. Assu wasn’t an easy man to read, and while I knew that on some level he might understand, I wasn’t sure how he would react to our request. Around us, the market carried on, but for me, the world seemed to have shrunk to that small space between the three of us, where every word and every decision mattered more than any of us wanted to admit.

“Of course, Shaira, you know I want to keep my word,” he finally said, “but I don’t think it’s wise to do it now.”

“What?” I exclaimed quietly.

Assu glanced at me, then looked over at Angro before taking me by the arm and leading me away from the market.

“Over there, look,” he discreetly pointed to a pair of eteri soldiers who were patrolling the village streets. “Ever since that night… when you left with them, the patrols have increased, and you know that what you’re asking can only be done publicly.”

It was exactly what I feared. If Assu annulled the marriage now, it would attract the attention of all the inhabitants of Sagoria, and even the eteri patrols, who would then notice me, my features, and the name Assu would use in the ceremony, which was necessary to make the divorce believable to Owan and the people of Zuwua.

“What do you suggest?” I asked.

Assu shook his head. “We’ll have to wait until things calm down or do it in another village, a much farther one, where the people haven’t even heard of the eteri.”

I looked at Angro, waiting for his opinion.

“That won’t be enough,” he said. “It has to be done here so the news of the separation reaches Zuwua, and we can keep the initial lie about Shaira’s origin, especially when we’re about to face my fiancée, her father, and her brother.”

What Angro suggested made sense. The act of separation had to be public and verifiable by the people of Zuwua.

“Fine, then we’ll have to wait…” I managed to say before an eteri soldier’s voice behind us interrupted.