C124 When Love Burns, a King Pleads.

I held her hand. For a moment, I swore she’d say yes. Her lips parted, breath unsteady—just enough to make me believe.

Then she pulled away, turning my world to ice.

“You don’t get it, do you?” Her voice was gentle—one last kindness before the kill. “I can’t go with you, Andrew.”

I shifted closer. “You can—”

“No.” Her voice cracked like thunder. “I can’t.”

She sucked in a breath