Page 74 of Obsession & Oath

And suddenly, I know exactly why he’s here, looking contemplatively out the window so late.

Our conversation has been plaguing him, too.

I take a breath, steadying myself. There’s no point pretending we’re here for anything else. “What happens now?”

The words hang in the air between us, a fragile thing teetering on the edge of shattering. My chest tightens as I watch him, looking for any sign, any glimmer of something that will say this isn’t the end.

But all I see is the truth in his eyes, that familiar glint of resolve.

He takes a step forward, his hands tucked into his pockets. His posture is calm, almost apologetic. “You know what happens.”

I shake my head, feeling the ground beneath me wobble. Or is that just me? “No, Dante. I don’t think I do.”

He sighs, running a hand through his hair like he’s tired of having this conversation in his head already.

“You’re right. Sooner or later, the Prince’s Guild will send the order. I’ll need to take you back to Brooklyn.” His voice falters only slightly, but it’s enough to make me take a step closer. “Your father will need you back, Carmen.”

I feel my heart splinter at the words.Your father will need you back.

It’s like the final nail in the coffin I’ve been unwilling to acknowledge. I feel a coldness creep up my spine, and my hand instinctively wraps around my chest, like I’m trying to hold the pieces of myself together.

“So...this is just it, then?” I can barely get the words out. “This is all we get?”

His jaw tightens. “Carmen, I’m not saying I don’t want more. I’m just saying what’s real. I’ve never made promises about the future, you know that. You said it yourself: we can’t ignore what’s waiting for us on the other side of this.”

I take a step back, the sting of his words hitting me harder than I thought they would. “So, what was all of this? What was the point of any of it if you knew it couldn’t last?”

“We are both to blame here, Carmen,” he counters. “We both decided to do this.”

My hands are shaking, and I wipe my palms on my pants, trying to control the anger that surges. “Sure, youpromisednothing, Dante, and I get that. But don’t you dare make me feel like a fool for thinking you might have wanted more.”

He’s quiet for a moment, his face unreadable, and I can’t decide if it’s guilt or something else that’s tightening his features.

“I didn’t want this to happen, Carmen. But I’m trying to be honest with you, and I don’t want to run away from my responsibilities anymore,” he says, his jaw twitching. “Youmade me see that.”

I laugh, bitter and sharp. “So it’s my fault then?”

“That’s not what I said?—”

“Was there ever a chance for us?” I talk over him, aware that I’m stepping closer. Aware that my emotions are vulnerably on display. “Was there ever a scenario where you chose me over them?”

Dante’s eyes glower down at me. “That’s the difference between you and me. I would never ask you tochoose.”

“I already did!” I will not let the tears fall down my face.

The silence stretches. Dante simply stares.

I press my palm against my forehead as if I could somehow push the pain away. “You know what? Fine. Maybe you’re right. Maybe this was never even a possibility, and we were just deluding ourselves.”

“Don’t do that.” His voice is low now; there’s a tightness to it. His eyes narrow as if he wants to reach out but doesn’t.

But I’m too far gone now. “I’m not the one who made it feel like we could have something, Dante. You did that. You made me think there was something here worth holding on to, something worth fighting for.”

I turn away from him, my breath catching as I fight against the burning in my throat. “But you’re right. You’re right. Iknewthe stakes. Iknewyou’d walk away because that’s what youdo. And I was just stupid enough to let myself hope.”

He steps toward me, reaching out a hand like he’s going to touch my shoulder, but I move away instinctively. I can’t let him touch me right now. Not like this.

“You don’t get it,” he says quietly, his voice more ragged than I’ve ever heard it. “I never wanted it to hurt like this, but I don’t know how to give you anything more. It’s an impossible situation.”

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