Page 190 of Daughter of the Serpent

He swallowed, throat bobbing.

“It meanteverything.”

But he didn’t deny it.

He never said the words.

And that was all she needed to know.

“Igaveyou everything,” she said, lifting her chin. “Allof me.”

Her voice broke, but she didn’t stop. “You opened me in ways no one else ever could. You talked of honesty - of facing the truth - and you still betrayed me.”

A long breath left him. “I wish I could tell you everything. I do. But I can’t.” His gaze found hers for a fleeting second, eyes rawand pleading, before he turned away. “I was a fool to think I could have you, that you could be mine, without hurting you.”

Tension blanketed his shoulders.“If you knew the full truth… if you knew what I’ve done…” His voice faded. He couldn’t even finish. Instead, he turned his face to the sea, jaw clenched against the weight of it. “It’s better this way. That we end it here.”

Her eyes shifted over his face, tears breaking free.

“You deserve happiness, Sylvie. And you’ll never find that with me.”

She shook her head as if trying to shake off the words. Her breath trembled in her chest, sharp and uneven.

Her next words carved from her throat, rough, bitter. “I thought Haldor was the one I had to protect myself from,” She swallowed hard, the words tasting like ash in her mouth. “But maybe he was right. Maybe he saw you clearer than I ever did.”

Her eyes met his, sharp as a dagger. “It’syouI can’t trust.”

His expression cracked - just for a breath, just long enough for pain to flash through. Then it vanished, buried beneath something cold, harsh.

“You’re right,” he said, voice low and flat. “You can’t.”

She shattered, anger roaring through her.

“I wish you never found me,” she bit out. “I wish you never kissed me. Never made me feel like I mattered. Never let me fall in love with you!”

His eyes widened - surprise, pain.

“You love me?” he asked, voice a rasp.

She felt the grief rise, thick and dark - but she shoved it down.

Anger was easier.

“I thought I did.”

He stilled.

She met his gaze. “But how can I, when I don’t even know who youare?”

He inhaled sharply. Hisfingers twitched.

“Good,” he said finally. “It’s better that you’re angry. That you hate me. It’ll make this easier.”

She felt the fury rise, sudden and scorching - her hands trembling with the urge to strike him, to shake him until the truth came out. A scream clawed at her throat, raw and ragged, but she swallowed it down.

Because she knew that look.

The hardness of his eyes.

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