The rain hadn't stopped.
It fell steadily now—softer than before, but heavier in meaning. Each drop traced slow paths down their skin, their clothes, their silence.
Nivara stood still.
Waiting.
Afraid of what she was about to hear…
and more afraid of how much she wanted to hear it.
Sorven exhaled slowly, rain dripping from his hair, sliding along his jawline. His grip on control—so effortless before—was slipping.
"I told you…" his voice was low, almost lost beneath the rain,
"that I'm not who you think I am."
Her heart pounded.
"I'm not… normal, Nivara."
A pause.
Then—
"I don't live a clean life."
The words settled between them, heavy.
Nivara's fingers tightened slightly at her sides, but she didn't move.
Didn't interrupt.
So he continued.
"I've done things…" he looked away briefly, jaw tightening, "…things that don't belong in your world."
Rain hit harder against the pavement.
"I'm part of something you shouldn't be near," he admitted. "A world where people don't get second chances."
Her breath caught.
His eyes met hers again.
Sharp.
Honest.
"I kill people."
Silence.
The kind that freezes everything.
The rain.
The air.
Her heartbeat.
Everything.
Nivara didn't step back.
But something inside her did.
Sorven noticed.
Of course he did.
A faint, bitter smile touched his lips.
"That's why I didn't tell you," he said quietly.
"Because I knew… the moment you knew the truth…"
His voice dropped.
"You'd look at me differently."
Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Because what do you say to that?
What do you do… when the person who makes your heart race…
is also someone who can end lives without hesitation?
"I saw you months ago," he continued, softer now. "Outside that café."
Nivara blinked.
"What?"
"You were sitting by the window," he said, a distant look crossing his face. "Watching the flowers like they actually meant something."
A faint breath escaped him.
"And that was it."
Her heart skipped.
"I don't believe in love at first sight," he added, voice rougher now. "But whatever that was… it didn't leave."
Rain slid down his face, mixing with something deeper in his eyes.
"So I stayed."
Her chest tightened.
"I started coming there every day. Watching you. Learning your routine. The way you hold your cup… the way you look outside before you leave…"
A pause.
"I sent the flowers."
Her breath hitched.
"Every single one," he said. "Because you never touched them."
A faint smile.
"You respected them… like they mattered."
His voice softened.
"That's when I knew you were different."
Nivara's heart was no longer steady.
It was chaos.
"You think this is obsession," he continued, stepping closer slowly, rain soaking through both of them completely now. "Maybe it is."
Another step.
"But it's the only thing that's ever felt real to me."
Her breath became uneven.
"And yesterday…" he added, "when I disappeared—"
Her eyes snapped to his.
"I had to leave."
His expression hardened slightly.
"There was a problem. Someone who needed to be dealt with."
The words were calm.
Too calm.
"I didn't want you to see that side of me."
Rain hit the ground harder.
"I didn't want that to be the version of me you remember."
Nivara swallowed.
Her mind screamed to run.
But her heart…
Refused.
"Everything I hid…" his voice dropped, stepping even closer now, "was never because I wanted to lie to you."
A pause.
"It was because I didn't want to lose you before I even had you."
That hit.
Deep.
Hard.
And then—
For the first time—
He broke.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But visibly.
"I don't fear anything," he said, his voice quieter now, almost vulnerable. "Not death. Not enemies. Not consequences."
His gaze locked onto hers.
"But you…"
A breath.
"You walking away from me—"
His voice cracked slightly.
"That terrifies me."
Nivara's heart clenched.
The rain slowed.
Or maybe the moment stretched.
Because everything felt suspended.
And then—
He did something she never expected.
Sorven stepped forward—
And dropped to his knees.
Right there.
In the middle of the rain-soaked street.
Water splashed around him, his clothes drenched, his hair falling over his forehead—but he didn't care.
Didn't hesitate.
Didn't hold back.
"I want you to be mine; I love you from the core of my heart and soul, Nivara."
The words were raw.
Unfiltered.
"I don't know when it happened exactly," he continued, looking up at her, eyes intense, almost desperate now. "But I know I can't go back to a life where you don't exist in it."
Rain slid down his face.
"I don't want to lose you."
His voice lowered.
"I won't survive that."
Nivara's breath trembled.
"I don't care what you think of me," he added, "what you call me… villain, monster—anything."
A pause.
"Just don't leave me."
The world felt too quiet for something this loud.
"Be mine."
Three words.
Simple.
Dangerous.
Everything.
Nivara stood frozen.
Her heart pulling her in one direction.
Her mind dragging her in another.
The rain continued falling—soft now, almost gentle, like it was trying to calm something that couldn't be calmed.
She looked at him.
Really looked at him.
The man who terrified her.
The man who watched her.
The man who chose her.
And the man who could destroy everything.
Her lips parted.
But no answer came.
Because there wasn't one.
Not yet.
Slowly—
She stepped back.
Once.
Then again.
Distance.
Needed.
Necessary.
"I…" her voice trembled slightly. "I can't…"
She shook her head.
Not rejecting.
Not accepting.
Just—
Overwhelmed.
That was all she could give.
And before he could say anything—
She turned.
The rain welcomed her again as she walked away, her steps unsteady but determined.
Sorven remained where he was.
On his knees.
Watching her leave.
Not stopping her.
Not calling her back.
Because for the first time—
He knew…
This wasn't something he could control.
And as Nivara disappeared into the rain-
covered street, her heart heavy, her mind in chaos—
One truth stayed with her.
This wasn't just love anymore.
This was something darker.
Deeper.
Irreversible.
And she had no idea—
If she was walking away from him…
Or walking straight back to him.