“I can’t be the man you need,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I can’t give you what you deserve. And the longer I stay, the more I’ll hurt you. So please, let me go. Let me do this one thing for you.”
She stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. It was in that moment that she realized just how much he was trying to protect her—not from himself but from the depth of his feelings. He thought he was sparing her, when in reality, he was breaking her heart.
“You’re a fool,” she said finally, her voice trembling but resolute.
His head snapped up, his eyes widening at her words. “What?”
“You’re a fool, Nicholas,” she repeated, stepping closer to him. “You think you’re protecting me by leaving? You think you’re sparing me some great pain? You’re wrong. You’re hurting me more by pushing me away.”
“Violet—”
“No,” she cut him off, her voice growing stronger. “You don’t get to make this decision for me. You don’t get to decide what’s best for me when you don’t even know what I want.”
“And what is it that you want?” he asked quietly, his tone filled with disbelief.
“You. I wantonlyyou,” she stammered, “because… I love you.”
Nicholas stared at her, his breath catching as the weight of her words settled between them. For a moment, he looked as if hedidn’t know what to do, his eyes darting to hers and then away as though he were afraid of what he might see there.
“You don’t know what you’re saying,” he murmured, his voice barely audible. “You think you do, but you don’t. Love… it’s not enough, Violet.”
“And why do you get to decide that?” she challenged, her voice steady now. “Why do you get to determine what I need or want? I’m standing here, telling you what I feel, and yet you refuse to hear me.”
He clenched his fists at his sides, his jaw tightening as he struggled to keep himself composed.
“Because I know what happens when love becomes a weapon. When it destroys everything it touches. I watched it happen, Violet. My parents loved each other once, but I saw firsthand how that turned out for them.”
“You’re not your parents,” she said gently, stepping closer to him. “And neither am I. Whatever happened to them—it doesn’t have to happen to us.”
“You don’t understand?—”
“Then help me understand!” she interrupted, her voice breaking. “Help me understand why you’re so determined to push me away when we could have something real. I have never felt this way about anyone before. And yet you refuse me as though it isnothing. Nicholas, you’re not protecting me. You’re protecting yourself.”
Her words hit him like a blow, and he took a step back, but Violet refused to stand down.
“I love you, Nicholas,” she said softly, her voice trembling with emotion. “I love you, and I don’t care about your fears or your doubts or whatever it is that you think makes you unworthy of that love. You’re so, so wrong.”
His breath hitched. He searched her eyes for any signs of insincerity, but all he saw was the truth staring back at him.
“I’ll only end up hurting you,” he finally said.
“You’ve already hurt me, Nicholas. Leaving hurt me. Pushing me away hurt me. But what hurts most is knowing that you don’t believe we’re worth fighting for.”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard. With every word she spoke, his own resolve seemed to crumble.
“Violet…”
“I don’t want a divorce, Nicholas. I don’t want freedom from you. I wantyou.” Violet’s own words came out choked, tears now streaming down her face. “Please don’t do this.”
For a moment, he said nothing, his gaze locked on hers, his chest heaving as he struggled to process her words.
Then, slowly, as though drawn by a force he couldn’t resist, he walked over to her and lifted a hand to her cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears that had slipped free.
“You love me,” he said, as if the words were foreign to him.
“I do. And I’m not afraid of that.”
His hand trembled against her cheek, as he wrestled against himself. But then something inside of him relented, and he leaned in, his forehead pressing gently against hers.
