Her head instinctively jerked upward, her throat bobbing as she swallowed. “Who is she?”
The slight tremble in her voice cracked something inside me, something I’d frozen months ago. But I wasn’t about to make this easy for her.
“Answer me, Adrik!” she snapped, her tone laced with more pain than anger.
“Damn it, Emi!” I banged a hand on my table.
She flinched at my reaction.
And just like that, all those pent-up emotions came rushing back in. “You don’t get to walk in here after one whole year asking questions about my life like nothing happened!” I lost control, eyes red with fury. “You abandoned me! Or did you forget that?”
“Don’t judge me, Adrik!” She leaned in, her tone matching mine. “I stood by you, even with all the attempts on my life!” she continued, the words tumbling out in a rush. “I chose you over Richard—hell, I even killed for you!”
“Then why’d you leave?!” I thundered, rising from my chair and walking over to face her.
She melted like ice before my towering frame, her eyes filling with unshed tears.
“Why did you leave me when I needed you the most?” The memory of her walking out of the mansion flashed through my mind. “Why didn’t you stand by me again when my strength was failing? Why did you abandon me?”
Her lips quivered, and her shoulders were shaking as tears streamed down her cheeks. “Because I was a coward.”
Those quiet words humbled me in a strange way.
She looked into my eyes, her voice low and trembling. “I couldn’t face the truth—I was too afraid to do so.” She paused for a second, then continued, “I thought leaving was what was best for both of us.”
“Both of us?” My scowl deepened. “You mean you thought it was the best decision foryou!”
She pressed her lips together, her eyes shining with regret.
“What gave you the right to decide what was best for me?” I demanded, my voice low and gravelly. “Did you ever stop to think about what I thought of your plan—how it made me feel?”
“You never talk about your feelings, never express your emotions, so how was I supposed to know?” She raised her voice slightly higher, her tone laced with frustration.
“So this ismyfault, then.” I took a step back. “Classic. Blame it on me. Blame it all on me.”
“I’m not trying to do that!” she yelled, crying.
“Then what’re you trying to do, Emika?!” I pressed on.
“Goddammit, Adrik!” She slammed her fist against my chest. “I’m trying to say that I love you!”
Silence.
Dead silence.
Time stood still.
The room and everything else faded into the background, leaving just the two of us.
I wasn’t sure I’d heard her correctly.
“There, I said it.” Her voice was calmer now. “God, that feels so much better.” She pressed her hand on her chest.
“You love me?” I asked her, my eyes locked with hers.
“Did I stutter?” she teased, a grin playing on her lips.
I stared at her in silence, wondering why this moment had taken so long to happen.
