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He stopped abruptly. His head snapped toward me, and nothing could have prepared me for the tortured load of emotion that flickered in his peridots.

Without warning, he spun around, stepped hastily toward me, and before I could process what was happening, warm, rough fingers slid over my wet cheeks and into my hair.

His forehead pressed against mine.

With one last sharp breath, I stopped breathing and stared up into his eyes.

Tears gathered in them.

I had never seen them so close before...

A wave of butterflies exploded in my stomach.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Who are you?”

It was just a whisper. Hoarse, frail.

My heart was pounding. Restless. Destructive.

Erik held my heart in his hands.

“What have you done to me?”

His fingers were gentle, yet his grip tightened as if he needed to hold on to me. As if something else could tear him away from this existence. Away from me.

It was my lies. My cowardice. All my mistakes.

I opened my lips, but couldn't get a word out.

Instead, I watched the tear that was now rolling down his cheek.

“Why...” His voice broke and his gaze wandered to my lips, filling with even more despair, but he squeezed his eyes shut in agony and shook his head. “No...”

I raised a hand to his cheek, and he flinched. But I didn't let that stop me, wiping the tear away as gently as possible with my thumb.

The twitch of his face to the side told me he was fighting my touch, but he held on to me tighter and tighter.

Then, in the next moment, he gave in, pressed his cheek against my hand, closed his eyes, and more tears rolled down his face as his chest rose and fell tremulously.

Treacherous hope exploded in my stomach.

This was Erik. I was holding Erik...

“Erik...” I whispered desperately.

His eyes opened. And it was as if the spark in them died out completely at that very moment. And with it, the hope in my stomach.

“No...”

It was just one word, but it tugged at the strings of my bloody, scarred heart, which still lay in his hands.

Despair returned, overwhelming me.

Quentin shook his head, jerked away from me, and stumbled back, disoriented, his tear-filled eyes visibly reddened.

“Don't call me that...”