The office door remained tighly shut. And behind it… I stood there, breath ragged, my back pressed against the wall, while Alaric looked at me like a man who had just decided to stop pretending to be good.
"I told you I wouldn't let you go," he said quietly.
His hand was still holding my face. Warm. Possessive.
"Do you understand what that means, Anna?"
I didn't answer. Because I already knew. It meant: there was no way back. My hand trembled as it brushed the cuff of his sleeve.
"Evelyn…" I whispered.
"It's too late to say her name now."
And for the first time that night… I didn't say my sister's name again. Instead, I pulled Alaric closer.
Our kiss broke again. Not like before. No hesitation. No restraint. This was the kiss of two people who knew they were destroying their own lives—and chose to do it anyway. He gently pushed me onto the small sofa in the corner of the room. His hand slid along my waist, lifting my face to his again.
"Look at me," he murmured.
