The silence stretches. Heavy with the weight of impossible choices.
Father's voice echoes in my memory.Sometimes love looks like cruelty. Sometimes the only way to keep someone alive is to let them believe you're the monster.
What if he's been protecting something he doesn't understand? What if the legacy he's built is a poison that's been slowly killing us all?
"Okay." The word comes out small. Broken. But certain. "I believe you. What do you need me to do?"
"Tell me everything you remember from when you saw the Swan."
And I do. I tell him everything, down to the smallest detail.
Relief washes over his face. He pulls me close and presses a kiss to my forehead. "Just be ready. Tomorrow, everything changes."
I melt into his embrace. Let him hold me. Let myself believe—just for a moment—that everything will be okay.
But as his arms tighten around me, as his pulse beats against mine, I can't shake one terrible thought.
What if I'm choosing wrong?
What if trusting Paul means destroying everything?
And what if Father was right all along?
The questions spiral in my mind. Unanswerable. Terrifying.
Paul pulls back just enough to look at me. "I need to go. They'll be looking for you soon."
"Wait." I grab his hand. Hold tight. "Tomorrow. When you come for me. Will it be dangerous?"
He doesn't lie. Doesn't try to reassure me with false promises. "Yes."
"Will people get hurt?"
"I'll do everything in my power to prevent that." His eyes hold mine. Steady. Honest. "But I can't promise chaos won't happen."
I nod. Swallow hard. "Okay."
He leans in. Kisses me one more time. Soft. Tender. Goodbye and hello and promise all wrapped into one.
Then he's moving toward the window. Silent as shadow.
"Paul."
He pauses. Looks back.
"Don't die." The words come out fierce. Desperate. "Whatever happens tomorrow. Whatever it takes. Don't die."
His smile is sad. "Same to you, ma chérie."
Then he's gone. Out the window into darkness. Like he was never there.
I stand alone in my room. Champagne on my dress. The taste of him still on my lips.
Tomorrow, I either escape this cage or lose everything trying.
I move to the mirror. The woman staring back looks haunted. Desperate. Scared.
But beneath the fear, something else burns.
