The breaking point came unexpectedly.
A project setback forced late nights and shared pressure. Exhaustion stripped away defenses neither had the energy to maintain. One night, alone in the dim office, Elara finally spoke the truth she had avoided.
"I don't know how to want something without fearing it will leave," she admitted.
Adrian looked at her then—not guarded, not distant, but open.
"I don't know how to stay without feeling like I'll fail," he replied.
The honesty between them was raw, unpolished. It scared them both.
Adrian stepped closer, not touching her, but close enough that the space between them felt fragile.
"I don't want to lose you," he said.
Elara exhaled shakily. "Then don't keep pretending this means nothing."
The walls cracked—not broken, but weakened.