The English‘s epic love story doesn’t have a happy ending — at least not in the traditional sense.

Cornelia and Eli’s sexual tension comes to a head in Episode 5 of the Prime Video western, when the journeying twosome share a kiss under the night sky. But Cornelia puts a stop to it, knowing that she will eventually succumb to syphilis, the sexually transmitted disease inflicted upon her by her rapist, David Melmont — a disease she would ultimately pass down to a child born of the assault. Rather than explain her circumstances to Eli, she scurries off and buries herself in the sand.