Page 264 of Emylia

“Emylia Isabelle Wynterthorne, I can't imagine a single day without you.” Tears blurred my vision. My breath hitched. He brushed a thumb over my cheek. “Please don’t cry.”

“I can’t,” I whispered. “I can’t say yes. It would break Sebastian.”

Maalikai stilled, every muscle pulled tight. “You’ve made your choice?”

“Yes.”

The light in his eyes flickered out–snuffed out like flames being doused in water.

“You’ve chosen him,” he said, voice raw.

“No.”

His gaze snapped to mine–collided with it like a crumbling star, full of heat and ruin and gravity I couldn’t outrun.

“You’ve chosen me?”

“Yes.”

For a heartbeat, nothing.

Then he moved—close enough that I could feel the heat rolling off him in waves.

His hands framed my face, almost trembling, like he couldn’t believe I was real. Like he thought touching me too hard might shatter the moment.

“Say it again,” he breathed, voice cracking.

“I chose you.”

A broken laugh tore out of him—half joy, half disbelief. He pressed his forehead to mine, exhaling like he’d been drowning and I was air.

“Gods, Princess…” His thumbs brushed over my cheeks. “You have no idea what that does to me.”

Then his lips crashed against mine.

Desperate. Devout. Like a prayer he didn’t know he’d been holding inside for years. Like he was finally allowed to want me without apology.

And I kissed him back—because there was nothing else I could do.

Not when his joy tasted like redemption.

Not when his hands held me like I was the answer to every war he'd ever fought.

He broke the kiss, breathless, forehead pressed to mine.

His world unfurled in a whisper– “Then don’t take this as a proposal. Take it as a promise.” His voice softened. “A token of my love. No matter what happens. It yours when you’re ready. Not a second before.”

My heart cracked wide open. “I can’t,” I breathed. “I can’t take something that means this much to you—when I might not be able to give you everything in the way you deserve.”

“What do you mean?”

A stuttered breath escaped me. “Just because I’ve chosen you doesn’t mean I’ve stopped loving him. When I give you my heart, it may not be whole, he may still have some of it.”

“You’ve already given me everything I need,” he said quietly. “Maybe not in the way you want. But I don’t need all of you to love you. Even if I only get a piece of your heart… it’s still the part that’s mine.”

I looked at him—and it hurt.

Gods, it hurt.

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