“Noelle, look at me.” My voice drops, low and commanding, the way I’d ground a soldier in the middle of a firefight. Her gaze flits everywhere but mine, her chest heaving, until I grip her chin and force her eyes up.
“You are not your mother. You are not your father. You are you.” Each word comes out like a vow, hammered through my teeth. “And you are not going to die. Not while I breathe.”
Tears spill down her cheeks, hot and relentless, but her body stills under my touch.
I press my forehead to hers, my chest heaving with the weight of my own fury and fear. “You want to talk about fate? Then listen. Fate didn’t drag you here. I did. I chose you. And I will burn this world down before I let it take you from me.”
Her lip trembles, her breath hitching, and I can feel the way her heart pounds against mine. She doesn’t believe me yet. Not fully. But she wants to. And that want is the only thread holding her together.
Her sobs break open, raw and unguarded, each one tearing something loose inside me. My chest aches with it, like I’m being carved hollow from the inside out.
I pull her into me, crushing her against my chest, one hand tangling in her hair, the other splayed across her back like I can hold her together with sheer force. Her tears soak throughmy shirt, hot trails of grief and shame, but I don’t care. I only hold her tighter.
My lips press against her temple, desperate and unrelenting. “Shhh,” I murmur against her skin, my own throat thick. “You are not them, Noelle. Do you hear me? You are not going to be defined by their sins.”
She shakes her head, broken, words spilling between sobs. “But it’s who I am—it’s in me—”
“No,” I cut her off, fiercer this time, my mouth still pressed to her. “You’re better than this. Better than them. Stronger. Brighter. You survived the kind of life that would’ve killed anyone else. You want to save lives? That dream is yours, not theirs. It’s real because you made it real.”
Her hands fist in my shirt, clinging like she’s terrified I’ll let go. Her body shakes with every sob, and my own eyes burn, but I force my voice steady, anchoring. “You are not cursed. You are not doomed. You are mine. And as long as I breathe, Noelle, I’ll fight every ghost, every enemy, every fucking shadow that dares to touch you.”
I kiss her temple again, slower this time, lingering, like I can seal the words into her skin.
And I hold her while she breaks, my heart breaking right with hers. I can’t take it anymore. The fear in her voice, the way she’s tearing herself down piece by piece—it’s like watching her burn alive. My hands grip her face, tilting her up to me, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
“Stop,” I growl, low and unyielding. “Stop giving Anton, or your past, that power. You are not your mother. You are not her mistakes. You are mine. And I swear to you, you will live, Noelle. You will live, because I’ll drag you out of every fire until my last breath if I have to.”
Her lips part, trembling, her chest heaving with sobs.
And before she can argue, before she can spiral deeper, I crush my mouth to hers.
It’s not gentle. It’s raw, desperate, a collision meant to silence the storm in her head. She gasps against me, startled, but I don’t let go—I pour every ounce of my fury, my fear, my devotion into that kiss. Her fists still grip my shirt, but now they clutch tighter, pulling me closer instead of pushing me away.
Her tears streak across my skin as our mouths move together, messy, frantic, but real.
When I finally pull back, my forehead rests against hers, our breaths ragged and uneven.
“You are not doomed,” I whisper, my voice shaking with the weight of it. “You are mine. And I will never let you go.”
Her face crumples against my hands, her voice cracking. “But how can you look at me? After everything—after knowing what I come from?”
Her tears slide hot against my thumbs. I shake my head, fierce. “You’re mine. The softest thing in my life, Noelle. And I’ll kill every ghost that dares to touch you. I’ll burn the world if I have to. And then—” I draw a shuddering breath, my chest tight with the truth I’ve never said aloud. “I’ll make sure you go to medical school. I’ll make sure you become the best goddamn doctor out there, because that’s who you are. Not trash. Not cursed. Brilliant. Meant for more.”
She sobs, her body trembling, clutching at my wrists like she’s drowning. “I’m scared, Niko.”
I lean in, my forehead pressed hard to hers, my words a vow against her skin. “I know. But listen to me. Do you trust me?”
Her breath hitches, then a whispered, “Yes.”
“Then hold on to my words,” I murmur, firm and steady. “When the fear claws at you, when the voices tell you lies—you hold on to me. To this.”
My hands slide down to her shoulders, anchoring her, daring her to doubt me. I hold her tighter, rocking her slowly, my lips brushing the crown of her head again and again.
“Shhh,” I murmur, threading my fingers through her hair. “I’ve got you,ogonek. Always.”
Her tears dampen my shirt, her breaths jagged, breaking against my ribs. I don’t care. Let her soak me through, let her pour it all out. I’ll carry the weight for both of us if I have to.
When her sobs ease into hiccups, I slide one arm under her knees and lift her. She clings to me instinctively, fingers fisting in my shirt, like if she lets go, she’ll disappear into the dark. I press a kiss to her temple, murmuring, “Not letting you go. Not ever.”
