Page 125 of Emylia

Untamed. Unrelenting. Alive.

And I’d gone and burned it all to ash. Because when he found out—reallysaw what I did tonight—he’ll never look at me the same again.

I didn’t just fall asleep in another man’s arms.

I gave away something sacred. Something that might’ve always been his—even if neither of us had ever said it aloud.

Tears welled, silent and hot, spilling onto the pillow like confessions I couldn’t speak.

Maalikai shifted in his sleep, holding me tighter. Safe. Steady.

But all I could think about was Sebastian. And how I’d broken something I couldn’t fix. This wasn’t just about choosing between two boys.

This was choosing between two halves of my soul.

Because Maalikai was gravity. But Sebastian… he was fire. One kept me grounded. The other burned through everything just to reach me.

And I couldn’t have both.

Not now.

Not after this. And the truth that broke me wasn’t that Maalikai might leave. It was that Sebastian would. And I wouldn’t survive it.

Because I could live through cold.

But I couldn’t live without my fire.

This wasn’t about who I loved more. It was about surviving what came after.

I wasn’t sure either of them would survive me.

But I was certain I wouldn’t survive without either of them.

This wasn’t about choosing between two boys anymore. It was about surviving the wreckage of loving them both. And knowing that, in the end—I might lose them anyway.

ChapterTwenty-Five

The door creaked open.

Maalikai stirred beside me, sleep still soft in his eyes. But I was already wide awake—because I’d felt the shift in the air. When I looked toward the door, I saw why.

Sebastian.

He stood there like a shadow come to life, forged in fury, jaw set in stone. His chest heaved beneath his armor, his eyes—once golden—now glowed with a molten edge, amber bleeding to red.

They locked on me. Then slid to Maalikai beside me. Our tangled limbs. Maalikai’s shirt twisted around my thighs. The sweat cooling on my skin.

His jaw locked.

“Maalikai,” he said, voice like a blade unsheathed. “Get. Out.”

Maalikai sat up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his face, like he was purposefully trying to infuriate him.

“Sebastian—”

“Now.” The word was laced in something dark. But it only made Maalikai smile—that vicious one that held the promise of pain.

“No.”

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