Amara's breath caught in her throat as her phone buzzed again in her hand. The name flashing across the screen made her blood run cold.
Ethan.
The man from her past. The one who had betrayed her trust and left wounds that Adrian had been trying to heal.
Her fingers trembled. Adrian's eyes darkened as he saw the name, his jaw tightening.
"Amara." His voice was low, rough, as though fighting to stay steady. "Why is he calling you?"
She swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. "I don't know. I didn't expect—"
"Did you talk to him recently?" Adrian pressed, hurt flickering across his eyes.
Her silence was enough of an answer.
He stepped back, running a hand through his hair, his voice cracking. "So while I've been fighting to prove to you that I've let go of my past… you've been holding onto yours?"
The accusation burned, though it wasn't entirely fair. Her heart clenched as she whispered, "It's not like that. You don't understand."
"Then help me understand!" His voice broke with raw emotion. "Because right now it feels like we're both haunted—and I don't know if either of us can survive this."
Tears welled in her eyes. "Maybe love isn't enough, Adrian. Maybe we're just too broken."
The words tore through him like glass. He reached for her, his hands trembling, but she stepped back, clutching her phone like a shield.
Lightning flashed outside, thunder shaking the walls. The storm outside mirrored the one inside, tearing at the fragile threads that bound them.
Adrian's voice dropped, hoarse and desperate. "Don't do this, Amara. Don't walk away. Not when we've come this far."
Her lips parted, her heart screaming to close the distance between them—but fear weighed her down like chains.
The storm roared louder, swallowing her answer. And in that deafening silence, it felt as though they stood on the edge of goodbye.