Elisabeth's POV
Time stopped. My entire world came to a screeching halt as those three words escaped my lips before I could catch them.
Of all the things I could have blurted out, it had to be that. The confession hung between us like a live wire, crackling with electricity I couldn't control.
My mouth opened and closed uselessly. What was there to say? How could I possibly take back what I'd just admitted?
I love you.
The truth had been buried deep inside me for weeks now, carefully guarded and locked away. But somehow, in that vulnerable moment, my heart had spoken without permission, exposing the secret I'd fought so hard to keep hidden.
Everything had changed in an instant.
Panic clawed at my chest as a hurricane of thoughts tore through my mind. Did he feel anything close to what I felt? Would he ever? Or had I just destroyed whatever fragile bond we'd built?
My options felt impossibly limited and equally terrifying.
