Her lips trembled.
"But don't mistake my restraint for weakness," he said firmly. "I want you. Fully. Completely. I've never wanted anyone like this."
His voice softened. "And if one day the world shifts, if your heart reaches for me freely, without guilt, I'll be here."
He stepped back, forcing distance between them like it physically hurt. "Until then," he said quietly, "I'll carry this on my own. Because that's what a man does when he truly loves a woman, he respects her choice, even when it costs him everything."
His mouth curved into a faint, pained smile. "Just don't tell me what we had didn't matter."
Then, barely above a whisper, "Because it still does."
Athena broke as tears broke freely from her face. She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Eryx, burying her face against his chest like she'd been holding that ache in for far too long. Her shoulders shook as she cried, fingers clutching his jacket as if letting go would shatter her.
