Page 127 of The Bittersweet Bond

And she hated how little she was able to show him just how much she did.

"I don’t want you to be perfect," she whispered.

"I just want you to be honest."

But I can’t.

Evin pressed her lips together, avoiding his gaze.

The cold of the night wrapped around her, but inside, she was burning.

"I need time," she finally forced out, her voice barely more than a breath.

She wrapped her arms around herself, searching for protection she couldn’t find.How am I supposed to tell him that there’s something I can’t even forgive myself for?

Bas looked at her, confused, before stepping even closer.

"Time? For what? So I can keep waiting while you hold me at arm’s length?"

His eyes flashed, but his voice remained steady.

"I’m not holding you at arm’s length," she countered, meeting his gaze.

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I just don’t know if I can give you what you want."

He deserves better than me…

"What I want?" He shook his head, a bitter smile pulling at his lips.

"What I want is for you to stop tearing yourself down like you’re not enough."

She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"I'm not enough, Bas. Not for you. Not for this."

Her voice broke, and she turned slightly away from him, but he grabbed her arm, refusing to let her go.

"Bullshit." The word was sharp, and she looked up at him, startled.

"You are more than enough. But you won’t let me in because you’re scared."

"Can we at least take it slow?" she started, her voice quieter now, as if she was trying to reason with herself as much as with him.

This past year had drained her completely, left her raw in ways she wasn’t sure she could recover from. Somehow, she had to stall him. No matter how much she wanted him, no matter how badly her body ached for him… deep down, it wasn’t just the fear of hurting him that haunted her.

It was the fear of being hurt by him.

If that happened again, she wasn’t sure she’d survive it.

"Of course, I’m scared!"

The words burst out of her before she could stop them, her anger flaring.

"It’s almost like—it’s your world against mine."

His grip on her arm didn’t loosen. Instead, he pulled her closer, holding her firmly against him. A rush shot through her veins, her pulse hammering in response to his nearness.

Hergaze dropped to his chest as he gently lifted her chin with his finger, tilting her head up.

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