"You are my world now. There is no perimeter beyond you."
He pulled back, his eyes searching hers, and for a moment, the vastness of the ocean and the height of the lighthouse faded. There was only the heat of their breath, the heavy, grounding weight of the iron ring, and the terrifying, beautiful realization that this—this life, this man, this iron-bound promise—was hers to keep.
He leaned down, his forehead resting against hers, his breathing ragged and deep. "Are you ready?" he asked, his voice low.
"Ready for what?"
He smiled, a slow, genuine curve of his lips that changed his entire face. He stepped back, offering her his arm—not as a warrior, not as a general, but as a man who had finally learned how to offer his hand in peace.
"To go home," he said.
