I sat on the floor of my room, my back pressed against the wall, my knees pulled tightly to my chest. The tears wouldn't stop. My face still stung from the slap, but the pain inside my chest was far worse. Everything was falling apart.
The door creaked open softly. I didn't look up, but I felt him.
Xenos.
For a moment, there was only silence. And then I heard his breath hitch as he stepped inside.
"Sage…" his voice broke. "Please…"
I didn't push him away when he knelt in front of me. Instead, I let myself fall into his arms. The moment he wrapped them around me, the dam burst again. I clung to him tightly, sobbing into his chest.
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen," I whispered through my tears. "I never wanted to hurt you. I never wanted us to fall apart."
"I know…" he whispered back, kissing the top of my head. "I know, Sage."
I pulled back slightly, looking up into his broken, tear-filled eyes.
"But I can't…" My voice trembled. "I can't keep doing this to you. To us. We've been through too much, and now everything's changing. It's killing me to say it, but… I can't continue this relationship."
He froze. His entire body went rigid.
"No…" His voice was low, almost a whisper at first. "No. Don't say that."
"It breaks me more than it breaks you," I cried. "But I can't pretend anymore. I can't keep fighting against everything I feel. You deserve someone who can give you everything without hesitation. And I… I don't know if I can anymore."
He suddenly shot up to his feet, his voice exploding into the room.
"NO! You don't get to say that, Sage!" His voice cracked with raw emotion. "Do you have ANY idea what I've done for you?! What I've sacrificed?!"
His hands flew to his hair, pulling slightly as he paced the room like a madman. "I gave up everything for you! I went against Mortis, against my past, against my bloodline—FOR YOU. I chose you when the entire world was against me! I loved you when you didn't even know how to love yourself!"
I sobbed harder, but he wasn't done.
"I bled for you! I burned for you! And even after everything, after you brought my own brother back into my life, after you held HIM while I stood bleeding—you're going to throw all of it away?! Like it meant nothing?!"
His voice cracked as he stared at me, his chest heaving, eyes wild and desperate.
"I have nothing without you, Sage! You are my world. My mate. My purpose."
I covered my face with my hands, breaking down completely under the weight of his words.
And then, softly, his voice dropped, trembling. "Please don't give up on us."