Can you not love me?

Eliana, after a while, slowly withdrew from the hug. She peered into the eyes of Augustus which carried many questions.

"Augustus, I am sorry," Eliana said, "for calling you selfish." She grasped his hands and caressed them. "I empathize with what you feel towards your step-brother. You must be hungry. I will bring dinner for you in the room," she asserted and rose to her feet when Augustus caught her wrist.

She turned to look at him, who said, "Don't leave me, Eli. Just love me. I will give everything to you and your brother. Everything you desire for, I will give you, but don't ever leave me."

Eliana was startled by his sudden request. It was something which was unpredictable to her. He was asking her to love him. She could see the yearning for love in his eyes. It seemed to her that he always wanted someone to love him. But, why her? They were in a contract marriage. Nothing more!

"The last person who loved me was my mother. I even forgot how it feels to be loved," Augustus state