Catherine's fingers curled into the fabric of Maximilian's shirt, holding on as though the simple act might steady the storm gathering inside her.
To say his name… It should have been easy.
She had whispered it before, in moments no one else had seen, when the world had been quiet, and it was just her thoughts keeping her company. She had said it like a secret, like a prayer, like something she wanted to become real. She had called for him in dreams she could barely remember upon waking, but still felt lingering in her chest.
And yet now…
Now that he was here, real and solid beneath her touch, now that it mattered…
She couldn't.
She leaned into him instead, resting her head against his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his waist with a quiet urgency. It was such a simple thing he had asked of her. Just his name.
But it felt like crossing something invisible. Like stepping into a place she couldn't return from.
Her hold on him tightened.
