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He groans, like he knows I’m right. Gripping my thigh, he throws my leg over his shoulder, his pace quickening, driving deeper, harder, until I’m nothing but a mess of gasps and frantic grasping.

His body moves over mine with effortless precision, like we’ve fallen back into something familiar. Like we’ve rewound time.

But it’s a lie. A fleeting illusion. And soon, I’ll wake up.

His mouth crashes against mine, his fingers curling around my throat as a desperate, punishing kiss steals my breath. He growls my name, thrusting deeper, taking everything.

My heart pounds, threatening to shatter under the weight of emotions I can’t contain.

It’s too much. And yet not nearly enough.

When he thrusts into me again, I come apart, calling his name, clinging to him even more, needing him to remember. Fingers tighten around my throat as he stares into my eyes, pounding roughly like he can’t get enough. With a guttural cry, he releases inside me, claiming every last bit of my soul.

His breaths are ragged as he collapses onto his back, kissing the corner of my mouth. “I’ve missed this.”

“Me too.”

Though I don’t know what he means. Did he miss the sex, or me? Or both? I’m scared of the answer.

As he holds me over his chest, his eyes flickering closed, I peer over at him, and I can’t help but wonder.

Will he still be here in the morning?

* * *

I wake to the sound of something hitting the floor. Groggy and disoriented, I open my eyes and immediately feel the absence beside me, his side of the bed empty.

“What are you doing?” I ask when I catch him pulling on his shoes and shrugging his hoodie back on like it’s just another morning.

“Leaving.”

I blink, trying to clear the fog in my mind, my heart pounding so loud I swear it could drown out the world. My gaze darts to the clock.

“Why? It’s only six in the?—”

He cuts me off. “I’m sorry, Dinara. This was a mistake.”

A bitter taste rises in my throat, sharp like acid. I swallow it down and fight to keep my emotions steady.

“What? No.” The words are barely a whisper, and I sit up, the sheets tangling around me like they’re trying to hold me back. “Why are you doing this? I know you feel it too. Don’t you want us to be like we were?”

He steps closer, reaching for my face, but pulls back in the last moment like I’m made of poison.

“Every damn second,” he strains, his brow furrowed in something that looks like regret but feels so much like defeat. “But we can’t go back. It’s just…what it is.”

I can’t even breathe for a moment as the heaviness of what he said sinks in, suffocating me. “That’s bullshit. Your mother wouldn’t want this. She wouldn’t want you to throw everything away. She’d want you to be happy. To be with me.”

His eyes snap to mine, fury flaring in them. “How the hell would you know what my mother would’ve wanted? If it wasn’t for your family, I could’ve asked her. But I can’t, can I?”

The harshness in his tone slices through me—clean, merciless. My eyes squeeze shut, the sting of tears threatening to spill.

He sighs, heavy and defeated, and when I look at him again, I see nothing but coldness. “I’ll never love you, Dinara. Ever. This is over.”

His words are a final blow. The dam breaks and tears spill down my face, uncontrolled and hot against my skin.

His jaw tightens, a fist curling at his side, but he doesn’t move. “This will never happen again. Just forget I ever existed.”

Each word is like a fresh wound, deeper than the last. “You’re being cruel. You don’t mean it.” I choke on every syllable, another sob wracking my chest. “Tell me how you really feel. Forget our families. Forget everything. Just tell me, how do youfeel?”