Seraphine's lips parted, but no words came.
Kaelith watched her carefully, his fingers still lingering against her skin, a silent reminder that he held the upper hand—at least for now.
"You want the truth?" Her voice was softer than before, laced with something fragile, something she rarely allowed him to see.
Kaelith didn't move. "Yes."
Seraphine exhaled slowly, her lashes lowering for the briefest moment before she met his gaze again.
"Then let me ask you this—what will you do with it?"
Kaelith narrowed his eyes. "That depends on what it is."
Seraphine let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "And if it changes everything?"
"Then you should have thought about that before you chose to keep secrets from me." His tone was sharp now, his patience thinning.
Seraphine's expression didn't falter, but something in her eyes shifted—just for a second. A flicker of hesitation.
Kaelith latched onto it.
"Who are you protecting?" His voice was low, demanding. "Tell me, Seraphine."
She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."
"Then make me understand."
Seraphine inhaled sharply, looking away. Kaelith could see the war within her, the push and pull between self-preservation and whatever truth she kept locked inside.
She had given him breadcrumbs, glimpses into the parts of her she didn't show the world. But this—this was the moment of reckoning.
Would she trust him?
Or would she let the walls between them grow even higher?
Kaelith took her chin between his fingers, forcing her to look at him. "Tell me."
Seraphine stared at him, her pulse quick beneath his touch.
Then, finally—
"I can't."
Kaelith's grip tightened for a fraction of a second before he released her.
"Then you leave me no choice."
Seraphine's breath caught, but she didn't ask what he meant.
She already knew.
Kaelith would find the truth himself.
And when he did, there would be no turning back.
To be continued…
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