Wapun Meadow I believed it all, every word you said

Etienne insisted he wasn’t a bother, which made Cambria’s heart thump a little faster. But, of course, Etienne didn’t know what he’d done. And there was no time to tell him before the cream-colored man relayed all the misfortunes of late.

Cambria hung his head. What the hell could he even say to comfort him after that? He mouthed the word “torture” with twisted lips, then raised his head to look Etienne in the eye. How was he standing here? How did he persevere? He was living the Dragonling’s worst nightmare on repeat.

There were so many reasons he shouldn’t—his own emotional dysfunction being at the top of the list—and yet Cambria couldn’t stop himself from saying, Why don’t you come stay with me and Dess for a little bit, Eti? Oh shit, now he had to explain. She’s… He had vowed never to lie to her, so why not pass that onto Etienne? She’s the woman I knocked up. And now I’m trying to do the right thing.

It was out there and now it was up to Etienne to decide what to do with the information. Cambria braced himself for abject rejection. He sensed he deserved a roundhouse slap, actually, and braced for that too. He deserved whatever Etienne dished out, honestly, and would accept it without complaint.