Chapter 369
Chapter 369
Silas’s POV
“We’re not suited. I can’t trust you completely p>
Those words cut deeper than any blade I’d taken in battle. I told myself she’d calm down, that she just needed time. But when she looked at me again-steady, unflinching-I saw it. The wall. The one she’d built between us.
And then she said it, quiet and merciless: “You really think this island can keep me here p>
That was the moment I realized she knew. She knew about the wards I’d placed on the gates, the guards I’d doubled near the docks. She wasn’t afraid. She was daring me to try.
I laughed, though it came out hoarse. “Complete trust?” I repeated. “Tell me, Freya-who in this world can trust anyone that completely p>
Her eyes didn’t even flicker. “My parents could. They trusted each other without question. I told before-that’s the kind of love I want p>
you
That hit me harder than I expected. I remembered her telling me that years ago, long before everything between us broke. And I had scoffed at it then, too arrogant to believe such a thing existed.
But now, standing before her, all I could think of was how she’d looked that day we first met- steady, composed, carrying that quiet fire inside her that made me want to destroy and worship her at the same time.
“I told you what I wanted from the beginning,” she said. “You knew p>
“Yes,” I said, my voice low, raw. “You did. And I can give it. I can learn to. I can tell you every scheme, every calculation. I’ll strip away every secret I’ve ever had—if that’s what it takes. But must one mistake damn me forever p>
Her lashes trembled, but she didn’t look away. “Silas, what we had is over. I just want you to keep your word. Two days from now, take me back to the mainland. Don’t destroy the last shred of faith I have left in you p>
Then she turned, walking toward her room.
Something inside me snapped.
“Freya,” I said, following her. “Freya, wait p>
She didn’t stop. So I caught up, reached for her, and before I could stop myself, I pulled her
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against me.
“Silas, what are you doing p>
My body moved before reason could interfere. I pressed her down on the bed, caging her there, her heartbeat hammering against mine.
“This isn’t over,” I said, voice rough, half broken. “You and I-we don’t end like this p>
Her eyes widened in shock, her lips parting as I kissed her-desperately, clumsily, greedily— like a man drowning in his own hunger.
Her scent flooded my senses-moonlight and stormfire-and the feel of her skin beneath my hands made every instinct roar to life. I wanted to stop, to breathe, but the thought of her slipping away again drove me half mad.
She struggled beneath me, pushing at my chest with her uninjured arm. “Silas-stop p>
But I couldn’t. Not yet. I needed her to understand-to feel what I felt.
Then pain bloomed across my jaw.
A sharp, echoing crack.
Her hand.
I froze.
Freya was trembling, eyes blazing with fury and something close to heartbreak. “Silas,” she said, her voice shaking, “don’t make me hate you p>
For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.
My hand went to my face where she’d struck me, heat spreading across my skin. No one had ever hit me like that-not since I was a boy. But the slap didn’t hurt half as much as her words did.
Hate.
That word burned through me like silver through flesh.
“Would you stop hating me,” I whispered, “if we had a child p>
Her expression froze.
I could hear my own voice, low and hoarse, saying words I didn’t even recognize as mine. “If we had a child, you’d stay. You’d want to give them a family. You wouldn’t walk away from that,
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would you p>
Because Freya-the woman who spent her life saving others-would never abandon her own blood. I knew her too well.
“Freya,” I said, a spark of madness flickering through the fog, “you care so much about family. You’d never let a child grow up without one. Without a father p>
She stared at me, horror dawning in her eyes. “Do you even hear yourself p>
“Of course I do.” My voice cracked. “If that’s what it takes to keep you here-then yes, I’d do it. I’d give you everything. Even if it meant p>
Even if it meant crossing a line I swore I never would.
She moved before I could finish, shoving at my chest with a force that made my ribs ache. Her eyes burned with tears she refused to let fall.
“Silas,” she said, voice trembling, “you’re not saving us. You’re destroying what’s left p>
Florence
Florence is a passionate reader who finds joy in long drives on rainy days. She’s also a fan of Italian makeup tutorials, blending beauty and elegance into her everyday life.