Days passed in silence, but the mansion felt like a battlefield. Every look, every touch was charged with both hatred and something unspoken.
Adrian finally cornered her in the library. "You're avoiding me."
Amaya snapped her book shut. "Why shouldn't I? Every word out of your mouth is a lie."
His jaw tightened. "You think I don't regret it?" His voice cracked with rare emotion. "Yes, I destroyed your family—but I also destroyed myself. I can't undo the past, Amaya. But I…" His voice faltered. "I can't let you go."
Her heart stuttered. For a moment, she saw the man beneath the mask—the one haunted by choices he couldn't take back.
But she shoved the thought aside. "Regret doesn't erase betrayal."
Adrian's hand brushed hers, tentative, desperate. "Then tell me what does."
Amaya pulled away, her eyes burning with tears. "Nothing."