Ethan didn’t rise. He didn’t let go of her hand.
“I pulled her from the wreck,” he said simply. “I’m not leaving.”
Darius’s fists clenched at his sides. “This is not your place.”
Ethan looked into his eyes. "And had I not been here she would still be buried under a load of broken timber."
"And if it weren't for you," Darius replied with a step nearer, "she would not have been dragged into every council chamber, into every power play.”
Ethan stood now, slowly, careful not to disturb the sleeping figure between them. “We both failed her, Darius. You are trying to claim her. Me by letting her go without a fight.”
A long silence followed.
Sophia’s breathing remained steady. The slow, fragile anchor kept both men from tearing the room apart.
Darius looked down at her, something breaking
