POV: Amara Blackwood
The moment he told me, I froze.
"She asked for me," Chris said quietly, already slipping on his coat. "And I'm going."
I stepped forward, blocking the chamber door. "You gave me permission. You said I could deal with her as I please."
He didn't flinch. "I meant it. And I still do. But I need to see her one last time."
A wave of hot jealousy surged through me. It wasn't because I feared losing him—but because I hated that even at the edge of death, she still had a thread tied to his heart. "Why?" I demanded, my voice sharper than I intended. "To forgive her? To soften your heart? Don't tell me you still—"
"I don't love her," he cut in. Firm. Final. "But I owe her a goodbye. Not for her. For me."
I stared at him, breath caught in my chest.
He stepped past me.
"I'll be back before the sun sets."
---
POV: Chris Blackwood
The guards saluted as I passed through the final gate.
Skylar's cell was at the bottom of the eastern wing. Cold. Isolated. Final.
She looked up as I entered.
No crown. No power. No mask.
Just her.
"Chris," she breathed, like a ghost remembering life.
I didn't sit. I didn't smile.
"I'm not here to change anything," I said before she could speak. "You're going to die tomorrow. That's final."
She nodded slowly. "I know."
"So why call me?"
Her voice was a whisper. "Because I never said goodbye properly."
I let silence settle between us.
Then she looked up, eyes glistening. "Do you still dream about who we were?"
I shook my head. "No. I dream about what I've built. What I'm building—with Amara."
Her face broke then—not in anger, but in acceptance. "She's powerful. Too powerful, maybe. She'll turn on you one day."
"If she does," I said calmly, "she'll find I'm not as easy to break as you think."
Skylar looked down.
And for a second, she was just… human.
"You may hate me, Chris. But no one will ever love you the way I did."
I didn't answer.
I turned and walked away.
---
POV: Amara
When he returned, I was sitting by the fire, pretending to read.
He walked in, removed his coat, and without a word, wrapped his arms around me from behind.
"I said goodbye," he whispered. "And now I'm done."
I didn't reply.
But I leaned into his chest, closed my eyes, and let him hold me.
For now.
Because tomorrow… would be the end of the beginning.
---