The air between Aimee and me hung thick with emotion after her whispered confession. For a moment, the curse, the darkness, and all the complications that had consumed me seemed to vanish. All I could focus on was the way her forehead rested against mine, how her warm breath mingled with my own. The world felt lighter, as if the universe was giving us a moment to just be... together.
But as much as I wanted to stay in that moment, reality had a cruel way of pulling us back.
"I love you too," I finally whispered, my voice raw with the weight of the truth. "But love isn't going to protect you from what's coming."
Aimee's hands tightened slightly on my face, her determination burning through her touch. "You think I need protection? James, I'm not a fragile little girl. I've been through just as much, if not more, than you. I'm not going to stand by and watch you suffer alone."
