Chapter 160
The room stayed quiet after Kael's confession.
Ariana stood frozen for a moment, staring at him while the words settled heavily between them. He had not said them dramatically. There had been no hesitation, no attempt to soften the truth afterward.
He simply looked at her like he had finally stopped fighting something he could no longer deny.
"I don't think I can let you go anymore."
The honesty in it made her chest tighten painfully.
Kael seemed to realize it too because his expression shifted slightly afterward, tension returning to his shoulders as if part of him expected her to step back after hearing it.
She didn't.
Instead, Ariana crossed the distance between them slowly until only a small space remained.
"You make that sound like a bad thing," she said quietly.
Kael let out a tired breath. "Ariana…"
"No," she interrupted gently. "You keep talking about this like it's something dangerous happening to you."
"It is dangerous."
"That's not what I meant."
