Chapter Fourteen: The Choice That Devours
Lila met Marcus at dawn.
Time had changed him—sharpened him—but his eyes still carried the same devotion that once undid her. When he reached for her, he stopped short, as if touching her without permission would break something sacred.
"You chose him," Marcus said quietly.
"I thought you were gone."
"I never left you," he replied. "I was just… erased."
Their conversation burned with everything unsaid. Love did not return—it reawakened, furious and unapologetic. Being near Marcus felt like coming home to a place that had once nearly destroyed her.
But Ethan's face haunted her. His kindness. His vows. His patience.
She stood between passion and principle, between a love that consumed and one that endured.
Some choices save you. Others reveal who you truly are.