Ariane:
“I’m scared, Kaelen.” The words tasted bitter. It was so unfamiliar to give in and verbalize fear, and it was not because they were untrue but because I hated the way they made me feel—fragile and vulnerable. It felt like a wound being cracked open again just as it started to heal.
He stilled.
Not like before, not like he had when I had gifted him a piece of me, but this time, it was restraint and caring.
A thousand words had tucked itself behind this silence, none of which he dared voice before I finished.
“I’m not afraid of you hurting me,” I clarified, voice barely above a whisper. “Not physically.”
I let loose a breath, so shaky yet sharp.
“I’m afraid… you’ll break me again. Not my bones, but my heart.” I swallowed. “And I don’t know if I’ll survive it again.”
His face
