Magnus woke to the first rays of sunlight filtering through the curtains. Mina was still nestled in his arms, and for the briefest moment, he forgot it would be the last time. He pressed a kiss to her cheek, lingering a breath longer than he should have, before sitting up and stretching. His body still ached all over and he dreaded having to disguise it with a smile for the whole day. The suit Aria designed did its job of covering every mark but it only seemed to add to his suffocation. Running a hand through his hair, he crossed to the door to check on Sylvan.

Sylvan's expression was uncharacteristically grim. Magnus's 'good morning' smile slipped off his face.

Mina blinked awake, tangled up in sheets that still smelled strongly of him. Sitting up, she felt the ice creep back into her veins, replacing the comforting warmth that had engulfed her throughout the night. Her nightmare still clung to her skin, but she used that fear to fuel the fire burning inside of her. If she succeeded, he'd celebrate many more birthdays after this one.

Hearing the door shut, she turned her gaze to Magnus. She hurriedly crawled off the bed and made her way over to him with a smile.

"Happy bir—"

Her voice died in her throat when she noticed him trembling. Slowly, too slowly, he turned to face her, his face pale and his eyes searching.

"Mina," His voice was different from anything she'd ever heard. "Would you please pull back your sleeve?"

Her heart dropped. "Magnus, I..."

"Mina, please," he had tears in his eyes. "Don't lie to me anymore."

She couldn't breathe. Her first thought was to beg, swear to him that she never meant to hurt him, but she knew it would be futile. She couldn't hide the truth from him anymore.

With shaking hands, she pulled back the sleeve of her shift to reveal the dark purple spots and burned skin left by her contact with the Virethorn. Magnus gaped.

"Oh no...oh, Mina..."

He stumbled back as if she had just struck him, pressing himself against the door. He couldn't take his eyes off of the undeniable evidence burned into her skin. Sylvan was right. He had tried desperately to deny it, to show that her love was proof enough, but now he couldn't believe it himself.

Tears welled up in her eyes. "Magnus, I can explain."

"The food yesterday..." Magnus gasped. The world felt like it was spinning. "You tried to..."

"No!" she protested, her voice shaking. "I was trying to stop her! I thought Samira...I never wanted..."

"Why should I believe you? What else have you been hiding from me?"

Her mouth fell open but she struggled to form words. She reached for him instinctively, but he flinched, her hand hovering uselessly in the air. She didn't dare come any closer.

Magnus tore his hands through his hair and over his face and neck—all the places she had touched and kissed him only a few hours ago. His skin burned with a new pain, far deeper and biting than anything his father had ever inflicted on him. How could he have been so stupid?

"How long have you been planning this?" he asked, gesturing to the poison staining her arm. "Were you just waiting for the perfect moment?"

She shook her head. "No, Magnus, I—"

"Don't lie to me!" His voice was drowning in desperation, and it felt like a knife through her gut. "Tell me the truth. Why did you come to this castle?"

Mina choked on her words, struggling to admit the truth she had tried so hard to bury herself. "To kill you..."

The words hung in the air, the weight crushing the air out of both of them. The world seemed to be shattering with every light stomped out. A single breath escaped him—half laugh, half sob—like his body couldn't decide what to feel first.

"Magnus, I'm sorry," she cried. "I didn't know what you did for me. I didn't know you saved me, I didn't know you..."

He shook his head, unable to meet her gaze. "How long did you plan to keep that a secret? Even as you laid in my arms, even when I told you I loved you, you still didn't trust me with the truth."

She wrapped her arms around herself. "I was terrified and I still am. Magnus, I do lo—"

"Don't you dare say that now," Magnus snapped. "Maybe I would have believed it a few hours ago," he paused, furiously swiping the tears away from his face. "Maybe I still want to believe it now, but how can I, Mina? How can I trust that it's not just another lie out of you?"

That was the worst part. Even now, he believed her. Even when she had shattered his trust, he still clung to the pieces with bloody hands.

"It wasn't all a lie," she gasped through her sobs. "I had so many chances but I didn't take them because I couldn't. I couldn't hurt you, I never meant to hurt you, I don't want to..."

His chest heaved, and he looked everywhere but at her, as if seeing her would snap the last thread of control he still had left. His eyes fell on a cord hanging in the corner of the room, the one that would signal the guards to come running, the one he hadn't touched since Cleo pulled a knife on him.

Mina's eyes followed his gaze, her blood turning to ice. "Magnus..."

"Go," he ordered through his teeth. "Leave like you promise me, and don't ever come back."

She couldn't move at first, feeling as if the knife already in her gut had been twisted further. He wouldn't let them hurt her, but he never wanted to see her again, and somehow that hurt worse.

"Mina," he urged, his voice commanding and final. "Leave."

The memory of his warmth slipped from her skin, leaving her with nothing but cold emptiness. She staggered over to the door, seemingly moving by a will other than her own. She didn't take her eyes off of him, but he kept his back to her.

With a strangled sob, she turned and ran.