Lewis's fingers brushed my cheek. His touch was warm, steady. The way he looked at me felt like quiet water deep, patient.
"Elena," he asked softly, "are you sure?"
I pressed a hand to my chest, feeling my heart beat under my palm. Strong. Alive.
"If a heart were a cup," I said slowly, "I don't know how full mine is. But I know this it isn't empty."
In my last life, I had rushed forward blind. I mistook noise for love and intensity for loyalty. I didn't know who truly stood beside me.
But after everything after watching from the shadows, after being given another chance I finally understood.
Who stayed.
Who protected.
Who mattered.
"Back then, I didn't understand how much this meant to you," I continued. "I hesitated. I held back. But now… I do."
I met his eyes. There was no pressure there. Only restraint. Only respect.
Life doesn't unfold all at once. It moves one step at a time. I was young. There was still so much ahead of us.
So why keep waiting out of fear?
