Valeria's POV
I couldn't breathe. The air around me felt thick, suffocating, as if the universe itself was pressing down on me. My powers—powers I had kept under control for so long—were waking up, surging through me like a wildfire, unpredictable and uncontrollable.
I had walked away from Adrian, but my heart wasn't in it. It never truly had been. The moment I had seen him standing there, trying to understand me, I had wanted to pull him in, to let him see everything. But I couldn't. Not when everything inside me screamed that it was too dangerous.
I didn't want him to know the truth. Not yet.
I kept walking, the sound of my footsteps muted by the roar of the ocean in the distance. The moonlight glimmered on the water, casting long shadows over the sand. My skin burned, the familiar sensation of power lighting up beneath my flesh. My pulse quickened, and I could feel the energy swirling in my veins, thrumming with life.
I had to keep it in check.
But it wasn't working.
I stopped abruptly, my hand pressing against my chest as the feeling of power swirled higher, pushing against my ribs. It was like an itch I couldn't scratch, an overwhelming need to let it out.
I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to focus, trying to ground myself, but my body was no longer listening to my mind. I was slipping, and I knew it. If I let go now, if I didn't rein it in, there would be consequences. For me. For him.
The world around me trembled as I struggled to maintain control. I could feel the ground beneath me humming, the very air crackling with electricity. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into the palms of my hands, grounding myself with pain.
I was always one step away from losing it.
I had always known I would have to face this, that eventually my powers would demand to be unleashed. But I hadn't expected it to be now—on this night, with Adrian so close.
The memories of what happened when I lost control flickered through my mind. The people I hurt. The destruction I caused. It was too much to bear.
I inhaled sharply, willing myself to calm down. Slowly, the hum in the air began to fade, the burning sensation in my chest dimming.
I forced my eyes open, my vision sharp and clear. I had to go back. Adrian was still too close to the truth, and I couldn't let him see any more.
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Adrian's POV
I had to find her.
After she walked away, I tried to shake off the unease settling in my chest, but it wouldn't go away. Something was off about her. And it wasn't just her cold demeanor, the walls she put up. No, this was different. There was something deeper, something darker that I couldn't place.
I had never been good at staying away from people who intrigued me, and Valeria? She was a puzzle I couldn't stop trying to solve. The flicker of light on her skin, the way she looked at me with a mix of deflection and longing—it was all adding up to something bigger than I could comprehend.
I couldn't leave it like this.
I made my way down the beach, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore the only company I had. My steps quickened as I walked farther from the party, hoping to find her. I didn't even know why. Maybe it was the worry gnawing at me, maybe it was the curiosity.
But when I saw her standing near the water, facing away from me, something in my chest twisted. She looked so… isolated. Like she was battling something inside herself.
"Valeria," I called softly, stepping closer.
She didn't turn around at first, but I could see her shoulders stiffen.
I walked up behind her, keeping my distance for a moment, giving her space, but I couldn't just leave her like this. There was something wrong. She was too still, too distant. I needed to know what was going on inside her head.
"You didn't answer me earlier," I said quietly, my voice firm but not demanding. "What did you mean by that? When you said you weren't who I thought you were?"
She was silent for a long time. I could feel her pulling away from me, emotionally, physically, even if she didn't move an inch.
"I meant it," she finally said, her voice colder than I'd ever heard it before.
I frowned, stepping a little closer. "What are you talking about? I don't understand."
"Maybe you don't want to understand," she said, her voice laced with something… defensive. It was like she was bracing for an attack, even though I hadn't said anything threatening.
I couldn't help myself—I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. "I want to understand you, Valeria. More than anything. But you're shutting me out. Why?"
For a moment, she was quiet, and I wondered if she would just walk away again. But then, she finally spoke.
"I'm not like you, Adrian. I'm not like everyone else," she said, her voice trembling slightly as though she were holding back something even more powerful. "I don't know how much longer I can keep pretending."
Before I could respond, she turned sharply, her face darkening as she took a step back.
"I can't be who you want me to be," she whispered, her eyes flickering with a strange light—like fire beneath the surface, barely contained. "And you don't want to see what I really am."
The words were like a slap in the face, but more than that, it was the look in her eyes—the fear, the uncertainty, the absolute truth behind her words—that made my heart race.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded, my voice more forceful now. I wasn't about to back down. Not this time.
"I'm dangerous," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And if you keep pushing me, you'll see just how dangerous I can be."
I froze.
Dangerous? I hadn't seen any signs of that. But the way she looked at me—the intensity in her gaze—made me wonder if maybe she wasn't talking about something that could hurt just me.
She could hurt everyone.
I took a step back, my chest tight. "Valeria, please—let me help you."
For a moment, I thought she might break. Her shoulders sagged slightly, and I saw the war within her eyes—the same battle I had seen in her when I first met her. She wanted to tell me everything. But she couldn't.
"I have to go," she said, her voice firm once more. Without waiting for my response, she turned and walked away, faster this time, like she was running from something.
I stood there for a moment, staring after her, my mind spinning. What the hell had just happened?
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