“She’s mine,” he whispered.
Not a declaration ofownership.
But of belonging.
*
The door creakedopen, and Maddie looked up from her perch near the hearth, shawl slipping from her shoulders like shed armor. Sebastian stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the snow-dusted corridor, coat unbuttoned, dark curls damp from the cold. He looked tired. Bone-deep tired. But it was him.
Her heart stuttered. It was really him. Whole. Here. Not a memory to cradle in the dark.
He looked like home.
She rose slowly.
“You came,” she said, her voice softer than the hush of air in the firelit room.
His eyes found hers. “As soon as I could.”
They didn’t rush to meet in the middle. They didn’t have to. The gravity between them was quiet and sure. Each step carried weight. Every breath was the first one after nearly drowning. When she reached him, he lifted a hand and brushed his knuckles down her cheek. She leaned into it without hesitation.
“I thought I’d never see you again,” she whispered.
His voice hitched. “Every second I was away felt like a year. I would’ve torn the world apart to find you.”
Her breath caught. “You did find me.”
“I should’ve seen it sooner. I should’ve known what Paisley was planning—”
“You stopped him,” she said firmly. “That’s what matters now.”
He looked away, jaw tight. “He tried to humiliate you.”
“I know, and my mother helped him.”
“Howisyour family?”
“They’ve accepted my choice.” And perhaps some bonds weren’t meant to be mended, only released.
He chuckled, then shook his head. “He said vile things.” Hisshoulders tensed again. “And I didn’t hit him. Thomas did.”
A shaky laugh escaped her. “Of course he did.”
Sebastian’s smile flickered, then faded. “I wanted to. Every part of me wanted to. But I thought… you wouldn’t want me to lose my honor over him.”
She shook her head slowly. “You kept it—for both of us.”
“And it cuts deeper for him to be struck by an earl. Twice.”
He stepped closer. The firelight reflected in his eyes.
“I would’ve fought every man in that chapel if it meant you never had to feel afraid.”
She pressed her palm to his chest, over the beat of his heart.
“You did enough,” she whispered. “You always do.”
He covered her hand with his. “Do you know what he said? That you were ruined… for bringing me tea and medicine.”
