Episode 7: The Choice That Was Never Yours
1051 Words
The name still lingered in the air.
Azrael.
Even unspoken, it felt like something alive between us.
Watching.
Waiting.
I turned away from Kael, moving back toward the counter just to put distance between us. I needed space to think, to breathe, to regain control over something that was slipping too fast.
This was wrong.
All of it.
Him being here.
Him knowing.
Him staying.
“You should have told me sooner,” I said quietly.
My fingers brushed against the edge of the table, grounding myself.
“That you were sent by him.”
Kael didn’t respond immediately.
Of course not.
He never rushed anything.
“I didn’t know how much you already knew,” he said finally.
“That’s not a reason.”
“It is if saying the wrong thing gets me thrown out before I understand the situation.”
I let out a small, bitter laugh.
“So this was all strategy?”
“Yes.”
The honesty hit harder than a lie would have.
I turned back to him slowly.
“And now?”
A pause.
Then—
“Now it’s something else.”
That made my chest tighten.
I didn’t like that answer.
Because I didn’t know what it meant.
Because I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
“You’re still here,” I said. “That means you’ve already made your choice.”
His gaze held mine.
“No,” he said. “It means I haven’t finished deciding.”
I shook my head slightly.
“You don’t get that luxury.”
“Neither do you.”
Silence.
Sharp.
Unavoidable.
Because he was right.
Of course he was.
I never had a choice.
Not when I was born.
Not when they decided my future.
Not when they arranged that marriage like it was nothing more than a transaction.
My jaw tightened.
“I made my choice the moment I ran,” I said.
“And look where that got you.”
My eyes snapped to his.
“Careful.”
But he didn’t back down.
“Running didn’t free you,” he continued calmly. “It delayed them.”
“I know that.”
“Then why are you still acting like you can stay here?”
Because I want to.
Because this is mine.
Because for once in my life—
I had something that wasn’t chosen for me.
“You don’t understand,” I said quietly.
“Then explain it.”
I hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
“I don’t want power,” I said.
The words felt strange coming out.
Heavy.
Honest.
“I don’t want a throne. I don’t want whatever role they’ve built for me. I just—”
My voice faltered slightly.
“I just want this.”
I gestured around the shop.
The flowers.
The paintings.
The quiet.
For a moment, Kael didn’t speak.
Didn’t interrupt.
Just listened.
And somehow…
That made it worse.
“Then you’re going to lose it,” he said.
The words landed clean.
Precise.
Unforgiving.
My chest tightened.
“I know.”
Silence stretched between us.
Longer this time.
Not sharp.
Not hostile.
Just… real.
Because we both knew the truth.
This wasn’t something I could keep.
Not forever.
Not anymore.
“They won’t stop,” he added. “And if Azrael decides to come himself—”
“I know what that means.”
My voice cut through his.
Quieter than before.
But firmer.
Because I didn’t need him to explain that part.
I remembered Azrael.
Not clearly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to know that when he moves—
Things end.
Not change.
Not shift.
End.
“That’s why you should leave,” I said again.
It felt pointless now.
But I said it anyway.
“For your own sake.”
Kael watched me.
Carefully.
Like he was weighing something again.
Always weighing.
Always deciding.
“And if I don’t?”
I didn’t answer right away.
Because I didn’t like the answer.
Because I wasn’t sure I could say it out loud.
But eventually—
“You’ll regret it.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“I doubt that.”
Of course you do.
I turned away again, moving toward the window.
Or what was left of it.
The glass had been partially fixed, but the cracks were still there if you looked closely.
Just like everything else.
Fragile.
Temporary.
One more hit and it would all shatter again.
“…You’re not afraid of me,” I said suddenly.
Not a question.
An observation.
Behind me, I heard him shift slightly.
“No.”
I nodded slowly.
“I should fix that.”
A quiet pause.
Then—
“Try.”
The word was soft.
But it carried weight.
Challenge.
Confidence.
Something deeper.
I turned back to him.
Met his gaze fully.
And for a moment—
I considered it.
Letting go.
Just a little.
Showing him exactly why people don’t stay.
Why they leave.
Why they should.
The air around me shifted slightly.
Cold.
Sharp.
Unsteady.
Not fully controlled.
Not fully restrained.
Kael didn’t move.
Didn’t step back.
Didn’t flinch.
He just watched.
Like he wanted to see it.
Like he was waiting for it.
That—
That was the problem.
“You really don’t know when to walk away,” I said.
“No,” he replied.
And for the first time—
There was something almost honest in his voice.
Not calculated.
Not distant.
Just… certain.
“I stopped walking away the moment I stepped into this place.”
My breath caught.
Just for a second.
That shouldn’t have mattered.
But it did.
And I hated that.
Because this was how it starts.
This is how things get complicated.
This is how people get hurt.
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then slowly—
The tension in the air faded.
The cold receded.
Control returned.
“Then don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I said quietly.
He nodded once.
“I won’t.”
Silence followed.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was heavy.
Full of things neither of us said.
Full of choices already made.
Whether we admitted it or not.
Because deep down—
I knew.
This wasn’t just about survival anymore.
And whatever was coming next…
It was going to change everything.
- Writer
