He exhaled, one hand brushing back a lock of her hair. "Maybe both."
And for a moment, the storm outside seemed to pause.
A soft silence lingered in the space between them, made of things unsaid. Rain tapped gently against the windows now, like a lullaby coaxing hearts to rest. But neither of them moved. Not Alessia, whose breath remained caught somewhere between disbelief and longing, and not Killian, whose touch lingered as if afraid she might vanish.
"Killian..." Her voice broke on his name, quiet and uncertain.
His gaze met hers. No masks this time. No cruel detachment or cold calculation. Just a man standing on the edge of vulnerability, finally willing to show her the scars beneath his polished armor.
"I didn’t know how to love you back then," he admitted, fingers trembling agai
