I guide her hands to my chest, holding them there, right over my heart.
"I'm right here. No conditions. No demands. I love you, Sage. That hasn't changed. And it never fucking will."
My voice breaks.
"You're not alone in this. Not while I'm still breathing."
Her eyes search mine for a long, silent beat.
And for a second, just one goddamn second, I see a flicker. Something behind the shadow. Recognition.
Maybe even… regret.
But then—
That grin.
That cold, menacing grin slices through the fragile hope, and something inside my chest fractures.
"How cute," she says, yanking her hands from mine. "The problem is: I don't do love. I never have. All I needed was a little backup against Darius. And you couldn't even deliver that."
Her words land like a blade straight to the sternum. I swear, I feel bone cracking.
I swallow hard, once. Twice. Still can't recover.
But I don't step back.
"You don't have to love me," I manage. "Hell, you don't even have to come back to me. Just… don't do this. Don't shut everyone out. Don't sink so deep into the darkness that you can't find a way out. Asher, Donna, your friends—they're still here. They care. They're terrified for you."
I shake my head, voice fraying.
"I still see the woman I fell for. I know the darkness is talking right now, but it's not stronger than you. It never was."
She yawns. Actually yawns. "Are you finished yet? Gods, at least you were interesting when you were still a monster."
Monster.
The way she says it—light, mocking, and dismissive—rattles something loose inside me.
I feel it stir. That old hunger. That quiet, simmering fury.
I rise to my feet slowly, looming over her, and I let a low, dangerous laugh out.
"Maybe you're right," I say, voice menacing. "Maybe love isn't what's needed here. Maybe it's time to stop pretending I'm the better man."
"Oh? Should I be scared?" she says, all drawl and defiance.
I lean in, eyes narrowed, smile cruel.
"Remember, sweetheart, if it's monsters you want, I've got one locked and loaded. I've played in darkness longer than you've been alive. And if we're doing this the hard way? Fine. Just know,I don't lose. Not in this game."
She watches me with a spark of something twisted. Thrill, maybe. "Mmm… there he is," she purrs, standing up. "You're hot when you stop pretending to be decent. So go on then. Let the monster play. But if I'm chained… that's hardly fair,husband." The word drips from her lips like venom.
I smirk. Step closer.
"Oh, Sage," I murmur, tone dipped in danger and charm, "even chained, you're lethal. A poisonous, beautiful thing. And gods, you've never turned me on more."
My hand lifts to her cheek, gentle, at first. But then it shifts.
