Maya woke to the weight of silence. Not the comforting quiet of dawn, but a silence that pressed against her chest, heavy and suffocating. The room felt colder than usual, the curtains half-drawn, letting in a sliver of gray morning light. Adrian's side of the bed was empty.
Her heart sank. He hadn't come back last night.
Maya pushed herself up slowly, running a hand through her tangled hair. She tried to steady her breathing, to convince herself it meant nothing, that he had only been pulled into yet another meeting, another crisis his family demanded of him. But deep down, she knew. Something was shifting. Something was breaking.
She rose, wrapped herself in his shirt still hanging on the chair — black, soft, smelling faintly of him — and padded barefoot to the balcony. The city sprawled below, bustling with life, but up here she felt like she was on an island, trapped between a man who loved her and a family determined to tear them apart.
The sliding door opened behind her. She didn't need to turn. She knew it was Adrian by the way the air thickened, by the quiet intensity he carried with him.
"Maya." His voice was low, rough from lack of sleep.
She turned slowly, her eyes locking on his. He looked exhausted — hair mussed, shirt wrinkled, jaw tight as if clenched all night. But it wasn't the tiredness that unsettled her; it was the shadow in his gaze, something unspoken.
"You didn't come back," she whispered.
"I couldn't," he said simply, stepping closer. His hands twitched like he wanted to reach for her but couldn't bring himself to.
"Why?" Her throat tightened. "Adrian, what's happening?"
He exhaled sharply and ran a hand over his face. "They gave me an ultimatum."
Maya's blood went cold.
"Your father?" she asked, though she already knew.
"My father. My mother. The entire council. They won't tolerate us anymore. Last night was… ugly." He swallowed hard, his blue eyes burning with restrained fury. "They want me to choose. You or the family."
Her breath caught. She had feared this moment, dreamt of it in nightmares, but hearing it aloud broke something inside her.
"And?" The single word escaped before she could stop it.
Adrian's silence stretched between them, sharp and unbearable. He finally stepped forward, gripping the balcony rail like it was the only thing holding him together.
"I told them I wouldn't let you go," he said, his voice a harsh whisper. "That no amount of power, no empire, could replace what I feel for you." He finally looked at her, eyes blazing. "But Maya… they won't stop. They're preparing to destroy everything. My inheritance, my company, everything I've worked for. They'll smear you, drag your name through every paper, every screen. They'll make you bleed for being with me."
Maya's knees weakened. "Adrian…"
He crossed to her in three long strides and seized her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "I can take losing everything. But I can't take watching them ruin you. I don't know if I can protect you from what's coming."
Tears pricked at her eyes, hot and unwanted. "So what are you saying? That we should end this?"
His hands trembled against her skin. "I'm saying I would rather set you free than see you destroyed because of me."
The words cut deeper than any blade. She shoved his hands away, staggering back. "Set me free?" Her voice cracked. "After everything we've fought through? After everything you promised me?"
"Maya—"
"No!" Her tears finally spilled, but her voice rose, raw and shaking. "You think I'm afraid of them? That I'd rather live without you than face their threats? You don't get to decide what I can handle, Adrian!"
He flinched at her fury, at the storm in her eyes. For once, the man who could silence a boardroom with a glance looked undone.
"Maya…" His voice broke. "I just want you safe."
"And I want you," she whispered fiercely, stepping closer. "Not your money. Not your empire. Just you. If they strip it all away, I don't care. But if you walk away…" Her breath hitched. "If you walk away, Adrian, then none of it matters. Because you're the one breaking me."
The room fell into a stillness so fragile it could shatter with a word.
Adrian's chest rose and fell rapidly, his jaw tight, eyes glistening with something raw, unguarded. He reached for her again, but stopped midway, fists curling at his sides.
"I don't know how to win this war," he said hoarsely. "But I swear to you, I'll burn their world before I lose you."
Maya's heart pounded, torn between relief and fear. She believed him — and that terrified her even more.
She closed the distance between them and pressed her forehead to his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. His arms came around her at last, pulling her close like he couldn't bear to let go.
But in the quiet of his embrace, a thought gnawed at her: love was their fire, but fire could both warm and destroy. And they were standing on the edge of both.