NO TURNING BACK
354 Words
“You shouldn’t have confronted her.”
Kael’s voice came from behind me, calm but heavy.
I didn’t turn.
I stood by the window, arms folded tightly, staring into the darkness outside.
“She tried to hurt me,” I said. “What did you expect me to do? Stay quiet?”
“I expected you to be careful,” he replied.
A quiet, bitter laugh escaped my lips.
“That’s funny.”
Silence followed.
I could feel his presence behind me, steady, unmoving.
“Lira—”
“No,” I cut in, finally turning to face him. “You knew.”
His expression didn’t change.
But that was the problem.
“You knew it was her,” I continued. “And you didn’t tell me.”
“I was handling it.”
“That’s not good enough.”
The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t take them back.
Because I meant them.
“You let me walk around like everything was fine,” I said. “Like I wasn’t in danger.”
“You weren’t supposed to be,” he replied.
“But I was,” I shot back.
Silence filled the room again.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
“She’s not going to stop,” I said more quietly this time. “You know that, right?”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I shook my head slowly.
“You already did.”
That made him pause.
For a brief moment, something flickered in his eyes.
Something real.
Something almost… regretful.
But it disappeared just as quickly.
“This isn’t something you can control anymore,” I said.
His gaze hardened.
“It is.”
“No,” I replied. “It’s not.”
Because this wasn’t just about protection.
Or power.
Or even the child.
This was something else now.
Something bigger.
Something dangerous.
I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“There’s no going back from this,” I said quietly.
And deep down…
I knew it was true.
Not for me.
Not for him.
Not for any of us.
- Writer
