Aurelia's breath came unsteady. As though the air itself had thickened, pressing against her lungs, refusing to settle within her.
Her chest rose and fell too quickly, her heart pounding so loudly she was certain he could hear it.
For a moment after his question, she said nothing. Because there was no easy answer.
Because standing there—exposed, vulnerable, stripped of every layer she had used to protect herself—had not been a decision made with logic.
It had been instinct. A move made from desperation and fear.
And something dangerously close to hope.
"What was I trying to prove?" she finally echoed, her voice soft but uneven. "I was trying to show you the truth you claim does not matter."
Her fingers curled slightly at her sides.
