"I choose…"
The words seemed to hang in the air, suspended like a fragile thread that could snap at any second.
Adrian's chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. He looked at Amara—her tear-streaked face, her trembling hands, the raw plea in her eyes. For the first time in years, he felt powerless.
"…you."
Amara's breath caught. Relief bloomed in her chest, wild and fragile, until his next words cut it apart.
"But you need to understand—the truth could destroy us."
Cassandra's smirk sharpened. "Finally, some honesty."
"Shut up," Adrian growled, but his voice cracked under the weight of what came next.
He turned back to Amara, his eyes burning. "There are things I've done… things I can't take back. Cassandra knows, because she was there. And if I tell you everything, Amara, you'll look at me the way everyone else does—like I'm a monster."
Amara's heart twisted. "Then let me decide. Please. Don't you see? Keeping me in the dark hurts more than the truth ever could."
Her voice shook, but her resolve was steel. "I'd rather break knowing who you really are than love a shadow of you."
Adrian's mask shattered. His hands raked through his hair, frustration and agony colliding.
"Amara… I wasn't just a man running from my past. I was the past people ran from."
Her blood turned to ice.
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
He closed his eyes. "Years ago, before I left it all behind… I worked with Cassandra. With her family. We built something powerful, dangerous. I thought I could control it, but…" His voice broke. "People got hurt. Innocent people. Because of me."
The room tilted. Amara's mind screamed to reject his words, but the pain in his eyes was too real, too raw.
"Are you saying…" Her voice faltered. "…you ruined lives?"
Adrian's silence was her answer.
Amara staggered back, as if distance could shield her from the truth. Her lips trembled, her heart bleeding. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"Because you're the only good thing I have left," Adrian whispered hoarsely. "If I lose you… I lose everything."
But Amara's chest heaved with betrayal. The man who had kissed her like she was his salvation was now admitting he might be her destruction.
Tears blurred her vision. "I don't know if I can trust you anymore."
And in that moment, Adrian broke.
Because for the first time, Amara wasn't just slipping through his fingers—she was choosing to.
Cassandra's smile curved like a blade. "I told you," she murmured, victory dripping from every word. "Secrets always ruin love stories."