The silence in this house was not the peaceful kind.
It was the kind that crawled into your lungs and made it hard to breathe. Christian and Crystal were both wrong tonight too tense, too controlled, too dangerous in different ways.
Christian paced like a man at war with himself. Crystal moved like a storm looking for something to destroy.
They were hiding something.
And I was done being kept in the dark.
"You two are terrible liars," I said.
Christian froze.
Crystal smirked. "What are you talking about, Princess?"
"Don't," I snapped. "Not when you think you can protect me with secrets. I want the truth."
Christian's eyes softened. "Bella… please."
"Either you tell me," I said quietly, "or I leave. For real."
The room shifted.
Crystal stopped smiling.
"She deserves to know," Crystal said. "Maybe it's time you stopped playing hero."
"Our brother," Crystal added. "The one we buried."
"Chained," I whispered.
Christian moved closer, his hand hovering near mine. "Stay with me when we go down there."
Not us.
Me.
My chest tightened.
$$$$$$$$$$$$ TIME FLIES $$$$$$$$$$$
Christian's hand stayed on my lower back as we descended.
Protective.
Possessive.
Every step, I felt how tightly he was holding himself back.
Crystal walked close on my other side, his shoulder brushing mine on purpose. A silent reminder: I'm here. Don't forget me.
When we reached Anthony, the air changed.
Anthony looked at me like a man seeing fate.
"You're trouble," he murmured. "I can see why they're tearing themselves apart over you."
Christian's hand tightened.
Crystal's jaw clenched.
Anthony smiled. "Christian plays protector. Crystal plays conqueror. But neither of them understands what you really are."
"What am I?" I asked quietly.
"A storm," Anthony said. "Not something to own. Something to survive."
Christian pulled me closer to his chest.
"You don't get to define her," he said coldly. "She's with us."
"With you," Anthony corrected.
That hit something dangerous.
As we turned to leave, Crystal grabbed my wrist.
"You don't belong to him alone," Crystal said low. "Don't let him fool you."
Christian turned sharply. "Let her go."
"She's not yours to hide behind," Crystal snapped.
Their voices dropped. Dangerous. Intimate. About me.
I was the line they were both willing to cross.
Christian stepped closer to me, his face inches from mine. His voice dropped to a whisper only I could hear.
"I would burn this house to keep you safe."
My breath hitched.
Crystal stepped in too, close enough that I could feel his heat.
"And I would burn the world to keep you mine."
The air thickened.
Their gazes clashed over my head.
For a second, I felt like the center of a war.
Christian's fingers brushed mine not holding, but needing.
Crystal's hand rested at my waist claiming.
Anthony laughed softly behind us.
"There it is," he said. "Two kings. One queen. And neither of you ready to lose."
Christian pulled me away first.
As we climbed the stairs, he leaned close.
"Bella," he whispered. "If you ever doubt this… doubt me… come to me first. Not him. Not Crystal. Me."
Crystal's voice followed from behind.
"Don't listen to him. When you need fire, when you need strength — you come to me."
Two promises.
Two different kinds of danger.
As the door closed behind us, I knew one thing:
They weren't fighting over love anymore.
They were fighting over ownership.
And I was no longer sure which was more terrifying.