And against all odds, a small laugh escaped Emilia's lips.
It was weak, broken, still soaked with tears, more like a sob than a real laugh.
"I hate you…" she murmured.
"You know perfectly well that's not true."
Emilia stayed looking at him for a long moment, unable to look away.
And little by little, the tension that had kept her body rigid throughout the entire conversation began to fade.
In the end, a small trembling smile appeared on her lips, and without thinking twice, she leaned in to kiss him.
But that kiss, which began as a trembling touch, carried everything Emilia hadn't been able to put into words.
Little by little, without either of them fully noticing, it deepened.
It was as if Emilia wanted to reclaim, all at once, every moment she had wasted believing she had no right to be happy.
And when they finally separated, both were breathing hard.
