“No,” she said quietly. “But I want to.”
She sat beside him, close enough for warmth, far enough not to intrude.
“When I brought you back, I wasn’t thinking of fate. Or bonds. Or who I might be chosen for. I just… couldn’t bear to lose you.”
He looked at her then, pain swimming in his gaze. “But you love him.”
She nodded, and it shattered him more than any blow.
“I do. I didn’t expect it. But I do.”
He swallowed hard. “Then what am I to you, Aria?”
She didn’t answer immediately.
Then she reached out, placing her hand over his heart.
“You were my lifeline when I had no one. You’ve seen me at my worst. I brought you back because something inside me screamed that the world would be less whole without you. That... part of me would be less whole.”
He looked at her hand, then away.
“I
