"Tell me you're joking," Marceline breathed, her voice barely audible, a fragile whisper laced with desperate hope. Even as the words slipped from her lips, she felt the weight of inevitability pressing down on her. Deep in her gut, she knew the answer, and the realization only deepened her sense of vulnerability.
Cross's expression was an unwavering wall of seriousness—intense, focused, and devoid of the slightest hint of jest. His dark eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her feel stripped bare, as if he could peer deep into her very soul. Each moment stretched, reality itself seeming to warp around them, leaving her feeling both exposed and captivated."Does it look like I'm joking about that?" His voice was a low growl, thick with an undercurrent of something almost primal—a raw edge that sent a shiver racing down her spine, igniting her pulse in spite of herself.Before she could muster a response, before the air around them could return to"Tell me you're joking," Marceline breathed, her voice barely audible, a fragile whisper laced with desperate hope. Even as the words slipped from her lips, she felt the weight of inevitability pressing down on her. Deep in her gut, she knew the answer, and the realization only deepened her sense of vulnerability.Cross's expression was an unwavering wall of seriousness—intense, focused, and devoid of the slightest hint of jest. His dark eyes bore into hers with an intensity that made her feel stripped bare, as if he could peer deep into her very soul. Each moment stretched, reality itself seeming to warp around them, leaving her feeling both exposed and captivated."Does it look like I'm joking about that?" His voice was a low growl, thick with an undercurrent of something almost primal—a raw edge that sent a shiver racing down her spine, igniting her pulse in spite of herself.Before she could muster a response, before the air around them could return to
The world felt as if it had tilted on its axis, a cataclysmic shift that disoriented Marceline. In that chaotic moment, her mind went completely blank, all coherent thoughts scattering like leaves caught in a fierce hurricane. The kiss had come out of nowhere—sudden and electrifying—a lightning strike that cut through her carefully chosen words, leaving her utterly speechless. The phantom pressure of his mouth lingered on her lips, and the taste of desperation and possession hung in the air like the faintest wisp of smoke after a fire.For what felt like an eternity, she remained frozen, her body caught in a tumultuous battle of instinct and reason. Her heart raced against her ribcage with such ferocity that she feared it might bruise, while her shallow gasps for air made her feel light-headed, almost weightless. The scent of his cologne enveloped her—an intoxicating blend of sandalwood that haunted her dreams—clamping down around her, suffocating and inescapable.
Marceline's heart raced as she felt the reality of her situation encroach upon her, a tide of emotions crashing over her mind—a mix of fear, resignation, and a flicker of defiance buried deep within. She longed to break free from the invisible bonds that kept her tethered to him, yet the futility of that desire weighed heavily on her soul, leaving her feeling as if she were slowly drowning.For what felt like an eternity, the room was enveloped in a palpable tension, a silence so heavy that it seemed to press down on Marceline’s chest. She stood there, a fragile figure caught in a storm of emotions until her carefully crafted facade crumbled. Her composure shattered like glass meeting concrete, sharp and jagged, leaving her raw and exposed. Each breath she took was rapid and shallow, desperate for air, as the words she had held back for what felt like an eternity clawed their way to the surface.“Why?” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath, yet it carried the weight of a
Marceline's breath caught in her throat, a sharp gasp swallowed by the looming silence in the room. As she turned away, her shoulders sagged under the weight of unspoken words, the gravity of her turmoil pulling her down like an anchor. Her fingers trembled as they pressed against her lips, a futile attempt to hold back the sob threatening to burst free, a fragile plea for understanding that lingered just beyond her reach."I'm sorry for disturbing you with my silly words," she whispered, her voice barely rising above the whisper of the evening breeze outside. Each syllable felt heavy with defeat, bitter on her tongue like the medicine she was forced to swallow—an acknowledgment of vulnerability she had never intended to reveal.The silence that enveloped them was suffocating, thick, and oppressive. Across the room, Cross watched her, his jaw clenched so tightly that the muscle beneath his ear twitched, betraying the storm of conflicting emotions playing out within him. Something twis
The night air wrapped around Marceline like a cool silk shawl, sending tiny shivers down her spine as she settled onto the bench in the long, brooding corridor of Cross Mansion. It was a place that always felt frozen in time, laden with secrets hidden in its dark wood and opulent decor. The silence—or what she thought was silence—was punctuated by the gentle trickle of water from an ornate marble fountain nearby. The sound was soothing, a rhythmic whisper that filled the dimly lit hall, mingling with the soft patter of her heartbeat in her ears.Moonlight poured through the tall arched windows, spilling onto the polished floor in pale silver beams that danced lazily over her bare feet. She marveled at how ethereal everything appeared, yet the beauty around her only deepened the ache inside. Each time she tried to close her eyes, to escape into the solace of sleep, her mind spiraled back to the stark white walls of the hospital, where memories jostled painfully for her attention. Her
Cross leaned back into the supple embrace of the leather chair, the familiar scent of aged hide mingling with the faint traces of cologne in the air. A low chuckle—almost a rumble—escaped his lips as he scrutinized Ronan with half-lidded eyes, a glimmer of mischief dancing in their depths. But beneath the surface lay something darker, a glint of mockery that he couldn’t quite mask.“And since when did you start caring, Ronan?” he drawled, the sarcasm dripping from his words like honey—sweet yet sharp. “I've never known you as someone who gives a damn about anyone except for your own agenda. So, tell me, what’s this sudden interest in Marceline?”A muscle in Ronan’s jaw tightened, that familiar scowl forming as he offered a small, tight-lipped smile that didn’t reach his stormy eyes. Those eyes, typically so composed, now flickered with a mix of determination and hurt.“Because I care,” he replied simply. Yet the weight of his words hung heavily in the room, amplifying the silence betw