"Decius has been gone a long time, Father. What can be keeping him?"

Fabianus smiled reassuringly. "Patience is a virtue, daughter."

"I've already done plenty of waiting for Decius, Father," Maria said. "How much more must I do?"

"For me? None," Decius said, entering and embracing Maria. "I met with Catulus."

"It's not good, is it?" she asked, reading the expression on his face.

"No, it's not. It never is with Catulus. He says you can have a choice. Either you and I can get married and move to Massilia but not take Rufus, or you can have Rufus – and stay with Catulus."

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I thought he was going to allow us all to go. Instead he's forcing this sadistic choice on me." Maria started to cry into Decius' shoulder. Decius traced the line of her jaw with his thumb, and she pressed her face against his hand.

"I'm so sorry, love," he said. "Catulus is a real sadist. I too thought he might have changed, but he was just toying with us."

"He had to act like he'd changed or we'd never have opened ourselves again and allowed him to hurt us – again," she said. "But no. He knew you'd never fetch his gold." She spat the word. "Not unless you had something to gain."

"I'd have done it for you, alone," Decius told her. "And continuing with the charade was unnecessary."

"He was manipulating you, yes," she said. "But he's torturing me. He knows I can't give up my son!" She broke away and stormed out the door. Decius extended a hand after her, but she never saw it.

"I would not ask you to," he said softly, after she was gone. "Damn it!" Decius slammed his fist into the wall.

"You must be patient, too," Fabianus counseled, having observed everything. "Wait. And trust in the Lord."

"I'm not any more patient than she is," Decius said, upset. But he waited perforce. Some minutes passed before Maria returned, white around the mouth and too upset to cry.

"That—that—!" Angry beyond words, she screamed. Decius took her back in his arms, and she looked up at him. "I was hoping he was merely tormenting me a little. But he's forcing this choice after all."

"I don't expect—I would never expect—you to give up your son for me," Decius told her. Fabianus finally spoke up.

"Please, you should both sit down. Our Lord wore the crown of thorns so neither of you need to. I can offer you some words of advice, if you wish." Obediently Decius and Maria sat down. "The Lord's ways are mysterious, and the path of righteousness is rarely smooth and easy. Rufus by law belongs to his father. If he went with you, he would forever remain a lever through which his father could compel you. He could show up at any time and take the boy away, and you would have no recourse. And I do not believe you would ever have asked the boy to join our faith."

"No," Maria said.

"I understand why you would not, but this would have left him the sole follower of the false Gods in a Christian household. He would be an outcast. He might even grow to hate you."

"And he would not if he stays with Catulus and I leave?" she said, bitterly.

"He might. But while you will never be free of the boy's memory, you would be free of his father. Ask yourself whether Rufus will suffer from being raised by his father alone."

Maria rose and began to pace about the room.

"Catulus would never hurt Rufus," she said to herself. "Our son is his heir. He cares about the boy more than anyone else. Maybe Rufus is the only person he cares about at all. But he'd torment me." She stopped, and turned to Fabianus. "He'd make me acknowledge that I was his wife. And that, that terrifies me. He'd make me share his bed, even if he didn't desire me, because he would know I'd hate it. And he'd—he'd enjoy that. I don't think he desires me as a woman. I'm not sure he ever did. I think he simply enjoys my suffering. He has always enjoyed that."

She turned away to hide her tears. "Catulus forces me now to chose between the man I love and my son. If I stayed with him for Rufus, he'd still torment me. Maybe he'd threaten to harm you, Decius. Maybe he'd make other demands. Fabianus is right, he could take Rufus away at any time. He'd probably continue with these choices of his. Share his bed, or no Rufus. Comply with some… request, or no Rufus."

Maria shuddered, and Decius rose and hugged her comfortingly. She embraced him in return. "How could I help my son? What sort of mother could I be to him, living like that?" She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment then looked up at him. "How could I live without you, Decius? I cannot. You are not my default choice. You are my only choice."