Ariadne stood there, her back straight, eyes locked on Caelen. His words hung in the air like an invisible wall between them, but they didn't have the power to push her away. If anything, they only cemented her resolve. He was trying to scare her off—again. Trying to make her believe this wasn't real. But she wasn't the one to be fooled.
Before it's too late.
The words pulsed through her mind, and a cold knot formed in her stomach. She could feel the weight of them—the fear in his voice. But what scared him? What was he running from?
She took a slow, deliberate step closer to him. "You don't get to decide what's too late for me," she said softly. "You're not the only one who feels this. You don't get to push me away just because you're scared."
Caelen didn't move. He was as still as the shadows that clung to him, but his jaw was tight. His eyes, dark and unyielding, never left hers.
"Why won't you just leave?" His voice was almost a growl now, a low sound full of frustration and something else—something that flickered just beneath the surface, begging to be seen.
Ariadne shook her head slowly. "Because I'm not afraid of you."
The words hung in the space between them like a challenge, and she could feel the tension tightening in the room, thickening the air until it was almost impossible to breathe. But she didn't back down.
His gaze flickered, just for a moment, and that was enough for her to know she had him. For the first time since she had walked into this house, since she had laid eyes on him, she saw something other than the mask. A crack.
"I'm not afraid of what you can do," she continued, her voice firm. "I'm not afraid of you. I never was. And I'm not going anywhere."
Caelen's eyes narrowed, his lips pressing into a thin line. "You don't know what you're saying."
Ariadne stepped even closer this time, closing the gap between them until she was standing right in front of him, her breath matching his in the stillness of the room. She locked her gaze with his, not flinching, not backing down.
"I'm not going anywhere," she repeated, her voice unwavering, carrying a certainty that burned through the space between them. "All of this—everything that's happened, every moment that brought me here,it's not a coincidence. It happened for a reason. I'm here for a reason. And you," she paused, feeling the weight of her words before pushing them out, "you are my destiny."
She could see the flicker of disbelief in his eyes, the sharp intake of breath. But she wasn't done.
"You're my destiny," she said again, her voice steady now, stronger. "And I'm not going to leave. Not even if you want me to."
His jaw tightened, but Ariadne stood her ground, her voice rising just slightly, the fire within her undeterred.
"You can try to push me away all you want. You can try to tell me to leave, but it won't work. I'm staying. And you're going to have to get used to it."
For a moment, the only sound was the steady rhythm of their breaths, the cold silence that pressed against them.
"You and I—" Ariadne continued, her words firm, yet carrying the weight of something deeper. "We're going to figure this out together. And you can either fight it, or you can accept it. But either way, I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere."
Caelen's gaze never wavered, but there was something different in it now—something like resignation, mingled with something else she couldn't name. A war raging in him, something that seemed almost familiar in the way it mirrored her own emotions.
He said nothing.
But she didn't need him to.
With a final, steady breath, Ariadne turned on her heel, not looking back. She moved toward the guest room, each step sure, each movement deliberate. She wasn't leaving. She had made her choice, and now it was his turn to face the reality of her presence.
The door clicked shut behind her, she released a huge breath, it took all her confidence to be able to withstand his gaze,he was too domineering.
Nevertheless, She would stay, no matter what he said or did. She would prove that this,whatever it was between them wasn't a mistake.
It was destiny.
And no matter how much he tried to push her away, she wasn't going anywhere.