~ ROSELLE ~

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, my legs gave out.

I crumpled to the floor, the tears I’d been fighting so desperately to hold back finally breaking free in violent, choking sobs. They tore through me like jagged glass, ripping open every wound I’d tried to hide.

What have I done? The pain slams through my chest, thudding heavily. Why does everything have to be this complicated? Fucking why? Why?

I don’t see myself recovering from this in years. I don’t see myself getting over this... He’s the only man who knows my pain before I even feel it. Who’s going to be with me when my nightmares return? Who’s going to feed me when I fall sick? Who’s going to crack jokes with me, watch movies with me, and fight for me and defend me over and over again?

He’s ruined me for any other man. I... I... don’t just see it... I...

The room feels too big now, too empty, like all the warmth has drained out of it the moment he walked away. My body is wracked with sobs that feel like they’re tearing me apart from the inside out.

Thinking about the fairytale Ravenna painted for me—the one where Ronan finds his true mate, breaks the curse, and gets to live happily. People go through heartbreak, and they get over it.

Ronan would definitely get over it too... but the truth is... he’s going to find his true mate, bond with her, and break the curse. And I’m going to spend the rest of my life alone, knowing that I had something beautiful and I threw it away.

The truth is, I’m going to regret this decision for the rest of my life.

But I can’t take it back now. I can’t undo what I’ve said. The words have been spoken, and they’re out there in the world, and there’s no taking them back.

There’s a soft knock on the door.

My heart lurched. For one foolish second, I hoped it was him, that he’d come back, pull me into his arms, and say, Hey Rose... I don’t think I’ll ever leave you. But I knew better. Ronan respected my choices, even the ones that destroyed him

I dragged myself up and opened the door.

Celeste stood there, her usual bright smile fading the instant she saw my tear-streaked face.

"Oh, My Lady," she whispers, rushing to me and pulling me into her arms. "What happened? What’s wrong?"

I can’t speak. I can’t explain. All I can do is cry harder as she holds me, rocking me gently like a child as we walk back inside rhe room.

"Is it Ronan?" she asks softly. "Did something happen between you and Ronan?"

I nodded, still unable to form words.

"It’s okay," she soothed. "Couples fight. You two are going to be fine."

I shook my head violently. "We’re... over," I choked out.

The shock on Celeste’s face was immediate. "What? Why? What went wrong? Ronan wouldn’t give you up that easily. He loves you too deeply to let you go like that."

A bitter, broken sound escaped me. "No... I broke up with him."

Celeste pulled back slightly, eyes wide. "Oh boy..." She searched my face, concern deepening. "Did he hurt you? Do you want to talk about it? A problem shared is a problem half solved, My Lady."

I told her everything, about Ravenna’s visit, about the curse, about the final vial, about how Ronan is dying and I’m the reason. I told her about the things I said to push him away, about the decision I made to leave.

And when I’m done, Celeste pulls back to look at me, her expression a mixture of sadness and confusion.

"Do you believe what you said to him?" she asks quietly. "Do you truly not love him anymore?"

I shake my head, fresh tears spilling down my cheeks.

"Then why did you say it?" she asks, and her question cuts right to the heart of the matter.

"Because I have to," I whisper. "Because I love him too much to let him die for me. Because his mother was right, I’m not his true mate, and the curse is going to kill him if he stays with me. And I can’t... I can’t let that happen."

Celeste is quiet for a long moment, studying my face.

"And what about you?" she asks finally. "What about your happiness? What about your life?"

"It doesn’t matter," I say, my voice hollow. "As long as he lives, as long as he gets the chance to find his true mate and break the curse, nothing else matters."

"That’s not love," Celeste says gently. "That’s sacrifice, and there’s a difference, My Lady. Love isn’t about destroying yourself for someone else. Love is about building something beautiful together."

"But what if that something beautiful comes at the cost of his life?" I ask, and my voice breaks. "What if by staying with him, I’m signing his death warrant? What if the curse takes him, and it’s all because I was too selfish to let him go?"

Celeste takes my hands in hers, squeezing them gently.

"Then you tell him that," she says. "You tell him the truth about what his mother said, about your fears, about why you’re really leaving. You give him the choice to decide for himself whether the risk is worth it."

I shake my head vehemently.

"No. He’ll convince me to stay. He’ll promise me that everything will be fine, that he’ll protect me, that the curse won’t take me. And I’ll believe him because I want to believe him. Because I love him and I want to be with him more than anything in the world."

I look up at her, my eyes filled with desperate tears.

"But I can’t let myself believe that fairytale anymore, Celeste. I can’t let myself believe that everything will work out perfectly. Because what if it doesn’t? What if he dies anyway? What if I’m left alone again, knowing that I had the chance to save him and I chose my own happiness instead?"

Celeste’s expression softens with sympathy, and she pulls me back into her arms.

"Oh, My Lady," she whispers against my hair. "You’re carrying such a heavy burden. But I need you to understand something: the choice to leave, the choice to protect himself... that’s his to make, not yours. You can’t make it for him. You can’t sacrifice your own life to save him without giving him a say in the matter."