Draven's Point Of View
The words were still warm on my lips when the weight of them hit me like a physical blow.
I love you, Seraphina.
I froze. My lungs locked up, refusing to draw in air as my mind spun out into complete, unadulterated chaos. What the fuck did I just say? The words had slipped out unbidden, bypassing every wall I'd spent a lifetime constructing, and now they hung in the air between us like something I could never take back.
I wanted to reach out and snatch them from existence, to shove them back down my throat before they could do any damage, but it was too late. They were out. They were real. And there was no version of me left standing that could pretend otherwise.
Even my heartbeat seemed to stutter in protest, as if my own body couldn't decide whether to celebrate or panic.
