Sebastian didn’t move when she stepped back.
He just stood there—still, silent, unshaken.
If anything, he looked even more determined.
His jaw tight.
His hands loose at his sides like he was forcing himself not to reach for her again.
His eyes steady on hers, dark and relentless and terrifyingly sure.
“No more avoiding it, Isabelle,” he said, voice low but cutting through the silence like a knife. “No more pretending.”
She swallowed hard, pulse hammering against her ribs.
The whole house felt like it was holding its breath.
“Sebastian—”
He cut her off, but not sharply—gently. Almost pleading.
“I’m serious. We owe it to them. To ourselves.”
Ourselves.
The word hit her square in the chest, knocking the air out of her lungs.
Because there was no separation anymore, was there?
T
