"I…" She could not give him a clear reply.
She wanted to say yes, but she remembered how Hugo Anderson ripped out her heart. She remembered the humiliation she suffered at his hands.
Could someone really love her?
Could she really find happiness?
Elias clenched his jaw. He interpreted her silence negatively. But he wasn't angry about it either.
"It's alright if you don't feel the same way. We can go back to how things were," He would be lying if he said it didn't hurt.
"I feel the same way."
"You don't have to-"
"I mean it, Elias," She interjected to reinstate her point.
Her fears were holding her back. But the moment she heard what Elias said, she pushed forward. She had to tell him how she felt. She could not bear the thought of him thinking she didn't love him.
Because she does.