Chapter 8 Summary: We Like Our Middle Names Best

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Roman sits at his desk on the upper floor of Dacre's house, trying to write the next article Dacre has demanded. Instead of producing propaganda, he finds himself typing about surviving death—about the scars on his skin and the sense that something divine kept him alive. He's been living quietly, taking meals in his room, transcribing for Dacre when the god visits with article ideas, and trying to recover the years of his life that remain lost to him.

Exhausted and with a headache from pushing his memory too hard, Roman gives up on writing for the night and falls asleep. He dreams vividly of his childhood: a garden with ivy arbors and roses, daisy crowns, blackberries, and a small girl with braided pigtails who calls him