The heavy doors to my father's study closed behind us with a feigning judgement, echoing like a verdict. The air was thick with the scent of aged leather and lingering smoke, as if the very walls, lined with countless books and ancestral portraits, were bearing witness to a long-buried tension.
Edward stood resolute behind his desk, a commanding figure whose piercing gaze pinned me in place. "Do you understand what will happen after this point onwards?"
I met his stare head-on, refusing to yield. "I kept her safe."
He shot back, voice sharp enough to cut through the tension. "We've put her in danger, Tristan. A civilian, a girl who never should have encountered the darkness we navigate and now, we've thrust her straight into its flames."
"She was already in the fire," I retorted, my voice rising with conviction. "We've talked about this, Father. She chose to stand beside me, not out of force, but because she wants to be here, with me, as much as I want to be with her. If you think I'll turn my back on her for the sake of our family's business, then you don't truly know me."
His jaw flexed, tension coursing through him as silence hung heavy between us, thick and suffocating. Finally, he leaned forward, his voice low and weighted, laced with authority and a hint of remorse.
"You remind me of myself at your age."
-
Marie led me into the sitting room, her hands warm and comforting on my shoulders. The flickering glow of the fireplace bathed the space in a golden light, a stark contrast to the storm raging within me.
Wrapping a blanket around my shoulders, she fussed over me like a mother would, her concern palpable. "You're trembling. Sit down, darling. You need warmth."
Her kindness broke through my defences faster than a bullet could fly. My throat clenched, and my voice came out as a whisper, laced with anguish. "I killed someone."
Her hands froze for a moment, her gaze locking onto mine with unwavering strength. "But you survived."
Tears threatened to spill, blurring my vision. "But what if I change? What if this changes everything about who I am?"
Marie cradled my face in her gentle hands, her warmth cutting through the chaos surrounding us. "Yes, it will leave a mark," she said, her voice steady and reassuring. "But remember, this doesn't define you. It doesn't taint your worthiness of love. Instead, it reveals the incredible strength that resides within you."
Her words cut deeper than the chill of the river, reaching that part of me that whispered in agony. I clung to the blanket tighter, longing for the strength to believe her, to embrace the hope she held out to me.
-
I locked eyes with my father, fists clenched tight. "You know exactly why I won't let her go." Edward's expression softened for just a moment, the facade cracking. "And you understand why I can't bear to watch you drag her into this life. It once destroyed me."
My father's confession hit me harder than any bullet could, and only now, I saw him not just as the unyielding patriarch but as a man burdened by his own regrets.
But that didn't change anything. Ellie was my world, and I would go to battle for her, against anyone, even my own father, if that's what it took to keep her by my side.