Aeliana inhaled sharply, burying her face deeper against his shoulder, as if she could press herself so close that she'd become an unshakable part of his future.
Because, to be frank—
She was scared.
Scared to hear that he didn't feel the same.
Scared that he'd push her away.
Scared that she'd lose this man who had, piece by piece, stitched her back together.
But—
So what?
For years, she had hid.
She had lived her life under a veil, trapped in her room, afraid of people's gazes, their words, their judgment.
She had given up on herself.
And then he had come.
This ridiculous, reckless, stupidly brilliant man—
And he had given her hope again.
So even if the future was uncertain, even if she didn't know what his future or hers would be—
She knew one thing.
She would carve herself into his life.
She would make sure that when Lucavion looked ahead, when he planned his next move, when he thought about the future—
She would be there.
Right beside him.
