-Aurelian Salvatore:
I stay on my knees long after Sebastian leaves.
The door closes softly behind him, but the sound feels louder than anything else that happened tonight. Final. Measured. Controlled.
He didn't slam it.
That somehow hurts more.
I stare at the space where he stood, the air still faintly warm from his presence. My chest feels tight in a way I'm not used to. Guilt sits heavy under my ribs, unfamiliar and unwelcome.
I made him that angry.
Not dramatic anger. Not playful irritation.
The kind that hardens into something steady and dangerous. The kind that says I will not forgive you.
My hand pushes into my hair, fingers tightening at the roots as if I can physically pull sense back into myself.
I exhale slowly and look toward the bed.
Elias is still asleep.
He's on his side, hair a mess against the pillow, breathing deep and even. The tension that's haunted his face for two weeks is finally gone. He looks younger like this. Softer. Unburdened.
He loves me.
