Chapter 112: When the Dead Husband Returned

Morwenna blinked.

The fog of sleep cleared from her eyes in a single breath, and she saw him clearly—the man beneath her, his shoulders pinned to the mattress, their faces only inches apart.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

They stared at each other without blinking. The room seemed to hold its breath with them.

Then Morwenna’s eyes shifted away. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"I’m sorry," she said quickly. "I was asleep when you suddenly touched me. You startled me."

She began to lift herself from him, careful not to put her full weight on his chest.

"Wait," Daemon said.

Morwenna paused, one hand still braced beside his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Don’t move. Stay where you are."

Her eyes widened a little. Her face grew redder, but she tried to keep her voice calm.

"Daemon, we can’t be intimate like this. Your wives will be angry if they find out you let another woman sit on you."

Daemon looked at her for a moment. Then a small smile touched his lips.

"They would get angry," he admitted. "Victoria and Sana might even beat me if I let another woman sit on me."

Morwenna’s expression tightened. "Then you understand why I should get off you."

"But you’re different."

She stared at him, uncertain what he meant.

"You’re my wife," Daemon said. "And Zephyra is our daughter. How could they be angry with us once they learn the truth? You’ll become their sister."

He smiled at her, gently and without a trace of teasing.

Morwenna didn’t answer.

She only stared at him, as if she had heard the words but couldn’t yet understand them. Her lips parted. Her brows drew together. Then, little by little, the meaning reached her.

Her eyes widened.

One hand flew to her mouth.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Daemon..."

Another tear followed, then another. She tried to hold them back, but the effort failed. Her shoulders began to shake as the truth she had waited centuries to hear finally settled over her.

Daemon raised both hands and gently held her face.

"I’m back, Morwenna," he whispered. "I’m sorry I left you and our daughter alone. I’m sorry I made you wait so long."

Morwenna broke.

She leaned down and pressed her face against his chest, crying as if all the years she had endured had gathered inside her and found a way out at last.

Daemon wrapped his arms around her. He held her close and rubbed her back, saying nothing more for a while. He didn’t try to hurry her tears or ask her to calm down. He simply stayed with her, letting her cry against him.

After a long moment, Morwenna drew back. Her face was wet, and her eyes shone with tears. She raised one hand and struck his chest—not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to make her anger clear.

"You know how long I waited for you?" she asked, her voice breaking. "Do you have any idea what it was like?"

Daemon lowered his eyes.

"I’m sorry."

"You left me with a baby in my arms," she said, hitting his chest again, more weakly this time. "You left me to answer every question alone. You left me to watch her grow up without you."

"I know," he whispered. "I’m sorry."

She raised her hand as if she might hit him again, but instead she pressed her palm against his chest and leaned into him. Daemon embraced her once more, holding her as gently as he could.

They stayed that way until her breathing grew steadier.

At last, Morwenna lifted her tearful face and searched his eyes.

"When did your memories return?"

Daemon hesitated. He wanted to give her a better answer. He wanted to tell her that he remembered their life together, the promises they had made, and every moment he had stolen from her by dying.

But he couldn’t lie to her.

"My memories haven’t returned," he said. "I still don’t remember our life together. I don’t remember the moments we shared, or even the details of my own past life."

Morwenna’s expression faltered.

Daemon tightened his hold on her hands.

"But I found out the truth. I know you’re my wife. And I know Zephyra is our daughter."

Morwenna looked at him for a long time. Then, slowly, the sadness in her face eased.

"For now, that’s enough," she said. "You’re here with me. That matters more than anything else."

She laid her hand over his.

"I’ll help you remember. I’ll tell you about our life, about the things we did together, and about the memories we made. We’ll bring them back one by one."

Daemon looked at their joined hands. "I promise I’ll remember."

He lifted his gaze to hers.

"And I promise I won’t leave you or our daughter again."

Morwenna’s lips trembled. She tried to smile, though tears still clung to her lashes.

"When you died, Zephyra was only eight months old," she said. "She was so small. She never got to know her father’s embrace. She grew up without a father beside her."

Daemon’s chest tightened.

"She was raised by me," Morwenna continued. "I did everything I could for her, but I couldn’t give her what you would have given her. I told her you would come back one day. I told her that her father would return to her."

Her voice softened.

"She believed me. So I think she waited for you too, even if she didn’t know what waiting meant."

Daemon lowered his head. The thought of Zephyra as a baby—his daughter growing up without ever being held by him—filled him with a quiet ache.

"I’m lucky," he said. "I’m lucky to have both of you in my life."

He held Morwenna’s hand more firmly.

"Thank you for everything you did. You carried so much alone, and you raised our daughter with love. From now on, I’ll cherish you and Zephyra. I’ll do everything I can to be there for both of you."

Morwenna watched him, searching his face for a promise she could trust. Whatever she saw there made her eyes soften.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Daemon hugged her back.

For the first time in four hundred years, Morwenna was not holding onto a memory of him. She was holding him.

A chime sounded inside Daemon’s mind.

The System’s voice followed.

[Host, rewards have been generated.]

Daemon’s eyes shifted slightly as the message appeared.

[Your bonded wife, Morwenna, is genuinely happy that you have returned to her life.]

Morwenna was still in his arms, unaware of the notification.

The System continued.

[The following rewards have been—]