Page 125 of A Kingdom's Heart
My breath came in sharp gasps as I stumbled onto the shore, my skirts heavy with sand and water. My tears mixed with the salt in the air.
He turned slowly toward me. His expression shifted from confusion to disbelief, and then to something softer, something aching.
I took another step forward. “Don’t go,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please.”
“Iris—”
Her voice came faintly from behind me, broken and shaking. I turned sharply to see Raven running toward us, her hair loose from its braid, her face pale in the moonlight.
“No!” I cried, my voice hoarse. “Leave!”
She froze where she stood, her eyes wide with shock. For a moment, she looked like she might come closer, but the look on my face stopped her. Her lips parted as if to speak again, then closed. She took a slow step back.
The waves crashed softly against the shore, the sound filling the silence between us.
“Iris,” William said finally, his voice quiet and heavy. The way he said my name made my heart twist, but it only fueled the storm building inside me.
“No,” I said again, louder this time, my voice trembling. “You don’t get to do this.”
He took a hesitant step toward me, his eyes searching mine, but I didn’t let him speak. The words came rushing out of me, raw and angry and full of hurt.
“You lied,” I said, my chest tightening with every breath. “You lied about saying you wouldn’t give up. You said you’d never leave me, and look what you’re doing.” My voice broke, and I pressed a trembling hand to my chest. “You’re leaving, William. You’re leaving and hiding behind the excuse that you’ll wait for me.”
He flinched as if I had struck him, but I didn’t stop. The tears came faster now, hot against my cheeks, and I could hardly breathe through them.
“You said you love me,” I whispered. “You said nothing would keep you away. But you’re walking away. You’re choosing to leave me.”
His jaw trembled, and for a moment he couldn’t speak. Then, through the sound of the waves and my own ragged breathing, I saw his tears fall. Slow, silent, and full of everything he was trying to hold back.
“Iris,” he said at last, his voice breaking. “I never wanted to hurt you. But if I stay, it will destroy us both.”
“Please,” I whispered, shaking my head as more tears slipped down. “Don’t say that. I need you, William. I need you, and you need me. You’re all I have.”
He closed his eyes as if the words hurt to hear. When he opened them again, the moonlight caught on the tears still clinging to his lashes. For a long moment, neither of us spoke. Only the sea filled the silence, its soft roar wrapping around us like a heartbeat.
Then he reached out a hand toward me. His voice was quiet, trembling but sure. “Then come with me.”
My breath caught.
“Come with me, my love.” He reached his hand out farther, the plea trembling with every word.
Something inside me broke.
When I turned, Raven was still standing a few steps behind. She looked terrified, torn between stopping me and letting me go. For
a moment, I saw my own pain reflected in her face: the same kind of helpless ache that came from loving someone you could never truly have.
I turned back to William.
There he was. My William. Standing at the edge of the sea, the wind tugging at his cloak, his tears catching the moonlight as they fell. His hand was still outstretched, waiting. He looked at me like I was his whole world, like nothing else existed beyond this moment.
“Come with me,” he said again, his voice shaking. “Please.”
My heart slammed against my chest so hard it hurt. The sound of the waves faded until all I could hear was that pounding inside me, quick and uneven, urging me to move.
I didn’t know what to do.
If I went to him, I would lose everything. My title, my crown, my wealth, my father’s favor. Everything I had been raised to protect would vanish the moment I took his hand. But what did any of it matter if I was never happy again? What was a kingdom worth if it meant a life without love?
