Maria.

Noah suddenly pulled away from me, and confusion settled heavily inside my chest almost instantly.

I stared at him, my breathing uneven, my lips still tingling from the intensity of the kiss we had just shared.

What did I do wrong?

The question echoed repeatedly in my head as I searched his face for answers.

Why does he always stop at the most intense part?

Every single time things began to feel deeper... more consuming...he would suddenly pull away as though something had snapped inside him.

Was he afraid?

Or...

Was he simply playing with my emotions?

I hated the fact that the thought even crossed my mind.

I lowered my gaze slightly, still trying to calm the storm of emotions inside me, but then Noah finally spoke again, dragging me out of my thoughts.

"Maria..." His voice was rough, strained like he was forcing the words out with difficulty as he paused briefly, dragging in a deep breath before continuing. "I need you to reject them."

I blinked slowly.

For a moment, I wasn’t even sure I heard him correctly.

The words lingered heavily between us, wrapping around the silence in the room.

"Dissolve the mate bond with the Quadruplets," he added again, this time more firmly, leaving absolutely no room for misunderstanding.

I froze.

Not because I was angry but because...I truly hadn’t thought that far.

The mate bond had always existed in the background of my life like an unwanted chain, painful, complicated, exhausting.

Even now, after everything they had done to me, the bond still remained, still tugged and still connected us.

I slowly sat up properly on the bed, taking in a long breath as I tried to sort through my thoughts carefully.

If I was being honest...Noah wasn’t wrong, since I had agreed to marry him and had chosen him.

And if that was truly my choice, then it was only right for me to cut every remaining tie binding me to the Quadruplets.

Wasn’t it?

The realization settled heavily inside me painfully but also clearly. I lifted my head and finally looked at Noah again.

"I will dissolve the mate bond," I said after a long moment of silence.

My voice was steady and decisive this time because if I hesitated now, I knew everything would only become messier.

Noah’s entire face brightened instantly at my response, relief washing over him so visibly that it almost startled me.

"I knew it, Maria," he said quickly, his tone lighter now, almost excited. "You aren’t interested in them anymore."

I rolled my eyes immediately, If only he knew I had never truly been interested in them in the first place.

Not in the way everyone assumed.

It was the damn mate bond that kept tying us together over and over again no matter how badly things fell apart.

Without that bond...Would any of this have even happened?

I looked away briefly, trying to ignore the strange ache creeping into my chest.

"Alright then," Noah continued almost immediately, sounding far too eager now. "I will leave so you can go immediately and dissolve the bond."

I swallowed hard.

My eyes widened slightly as I stared at him.

Immediately?

Moon goddess...

Noah was truly impatient.

And somehow, that made my nerves worsen even more.

I stared at Noah silently for a while, my thoughts still unsettled from everything he had just said. Even though I had already agreed, the weight of it still sat heavily inside my chest.

But eventually, I nodded slowly.

"I will go find them now," I said quietly before immediately standing up from the bed.

Noah’s expression softened with satisfaction, and together we stepped out of the room.

The moment we got outside, our paths separated almost instantly.

He headed straight toward his study while I walked in the opposite direction, my mind clouded with too many thoughts as I searched for the Quadruplets.

Honestly, I had no idea how the conversation would go.

Would they agree peacefully?

Would they try to stop me?

Or would they simply laugh at me?

The thought alone made my chest tighten.

I turned around the hallway corner absentmindedly and froze slightly when a familiar figure suddenly came into view.

Adrien.

For a second, I almost didn’t recognize him. He looked...terrible, not physically but emotionally.

His shoulders looked heavier, his expression dull, and there was a sadness around him that felt strangely unfamiliar.

It was rare seeing Adrien like this and for reasons I couldn’t explain, a strange ache settled inside me at the sight of him.

The moment he lifted his head and saw me, his entire expression changed immediately.

His eyes lit up slightly, as though merely seeing me had brought him back to life.

"Maria..." he called softly before quickly walking toward me. "I have changed," he blurted out suddenly, catching me completely off guard.

My brows furrowed instantly.

What?

"I’m sorry we made you feel like a prize," he continued quickly, his voice unusually sincere as he stepped closer. "Don’t hate me." He paused briefly before placing his hands carefully on my shoulders. "I’m ready to make amends."

I stared at him blankly, completely dumbfounded.

Why was he suddenly apologizing now?

It was too late for any of this.

Far too late.

And honestly, hearing him apologize now only made everything feel heavier.

I took a slow breath before speaking.

"Where are your brothers?" I asked instead, deliberately ignoring every single thing he had just said.

Adrien blinked at me in confusion, then suddenly, a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I knew it," he said softly, almost to himself before scratching the back of his head lightly. "It was all a lie."

I frowned instantly. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

What exactly was he talking about now?

"You won’t hate us," he continued, sounding strangely hopeful now. "You definitely can’t do without me."

I stared at him in disbelief.

For a second, I genuinely wondered if Adrien had completely lost his mind.

Did he seriously think that was the issue here?

That this was some playful misunderstanding?

My patience thinned almost immediately.

"I need an answer, Adrien," I said firmly this time, my tone colder now. "Where are your brothers?"

But he kept staring at me like he was searching for something hidden behind my words.

"I want to dissolve this bond," I added finally.

The moment the words left my mouth, everything about him changed completely.

Adrien’s smile vanished instantly.

His hands slowly slipped away from my shoulders as he took a step backward, his face paling before my eyes.

His eyes searched mine frantically, almost desperately, as though trying to see if I was joking.

"What?" he asked quietly.

The shock in his voice was unmistakable.