Maria.
I could feel the intensity in his gaze, the weight of his amber eyes locked onto mine. "Maria, just say the word, and I am ready to take you away," he said slowly, carefully, as if measuring every syllable. His voice was steady, yet it trembled with a quiet urgency that betrayed the depth of his emotions. "I promise you," he added, leaning ever so slightly forward, searching my face as though the answer to his words lay hidden somewhere within my expression.
I froze for a moment, the words echoing in my mind, threatening to tear through the walls I had built around my heart. The idea of leaving, of being taken away by him, someone I had once rejected countless times, was overwhelming. I could feel the pull of the bond, the connection that had never truly broken, even in the years we were apart. But I couldn't let myself succumb to it.
