Slowly, he moved—kneeling before her. His hands closed around hers, firm, almost desperate, as if letting go would mean losing her entirely. His eyes locked on hers, no walls, no armor—just the raw, unguarded man beneath.
“Maya… you’re the first person I’ve ever truly loved. Something I never thought I had the right to feel. It wasn’t duty. It wasn’t expectation. It wasn’t forced. It was mine. Real. I didn’t plan it. I couldn’t control it. I just… felt it.”
A rough exhale left him, almost a low, self-mocking laugh, remembering how she had undone him from the start. “Please forgive me for disrupting your life. I tried to stop it—believe me, I did. The moment I saw you, you disarmed me. You got under my skin. I couldn’t think, couldn’t focus… you consumed me every damn second. You were a d
