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forgiveness?
    Then River stood to go, leaving emptiness in her wake. Eventually he stood and returned to the courtyard, where he stared at the abandoned furniture. River had disappeared into the depths of the inner chambers. He could no longer see her, but he could sense her there.
    He resumed his efforts, shoving the desk against the wall and then going to scavenge more furniture. He’d never turned his back on duty. Soon he’d climb free and continue his hunt. Ru Shan was days away, a week at most.
    He’d leave what happened here out of his report to Governor Li. Outside of these walls, he’d insist that he’d never seen River or spoken to her. Or touched her. She’d remain safe, as long as she stayed away from Ru Shan and away from him. That was all he could give.
    The afternoon sun had begun its gradual descent. Chen threw himself into his work. He tried to focus on this one task and nothing more, but the loneliness devoured him from within. There was no peace.

Chapter 5
    For the rest of the afternoon, Chen dragged furniture out into the courtyard. He attempted to stack the tables beside the lowest point of the wall near the gate. River hovered at the edges of the courtyard to watch him labor away. She never doubted he would find a way out. Their house wasn’t a fortress or a prison. Not like the one she’d be thrown in when Li Tao’s men caught her. Or would Chen turn her in himself?
    For a dim moment, she saw the point of his desolate warrior logic—better to meet your end at the hands of someone who knew you. Who, at one time, cared for you.
    Night came swiftly. She retired to her own chamber and her own bed only to find she couldn’t sleep. The lanterns burned away and the movement of the shadows over the walls kept her company. Maybe she had chosen to lock herself in with Chen out of protest. Deep in her heart, she resented having to abandon their home and their life.
    A silhouette appeared outside the window and her pulse skipped. Chen hesitated there. Holding her breath, she watched his shape through the paper windowpane. If he moved away, she didn’t know if she was brave enough to call after him. Her heart was already torn into jagged pieces.
    After too long a pause, Chen entered without knocking. His sleeves were rolled up over his forearms and his skin glistened from physical exertion. The lantern light washed over him in a warm glow. Her mouth went dry. He was handsome, she realized with dismay.
    It was just too much for her to find him handsome now on top of everything else she felt about him.
    “It’s cold in here.” He came to the bed as she had done in his room the night before.
    She shrank a little beneath the quilt. “I was afraid if I tried to light the coals, I might set the bed on fire.”
    He didn’t smile. “By tomorrow morning, I’ll be gone.”
    “Then we have nothing more to say.” The chill around her came from inside and out. It was inescapable.
    “There’s something I need to know before I go.”
    He lowered himself to sit on the edge of the bed. The gesture should have been only a small intimacy after he’d taken her virtue and brought her to the highest tide of pleasure. Yet her breathing grew shallow at his nearness. She tracked every shift of his weight beside her.
    “You didn’t come to me as part of some devious plan,” he said calmly. “Tell me why you did it.”
    She couldn’t. Already her skin warmed and her muscles loosened. The sound of her voice alone would give away how much she wanted him.
    He placed a hand over her ankle. His grip was firm through the layers of the quilt and she savored the heat of his touch. Chen had come to claim her. From the moment he’d set foot in their shop, he’d claimed her.
    River squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t have an answer for you.”
    He made a move as if to rise, and she sat up in a panic. If he left, she’d die of heartache.
    “We were going into hiding. Ru Shan was talking of rebellion,” she explained.