CHAPTER 273: MELTING...

Adrien’s face was a mask of anguish. He finally managed to pry my hand free, not to pull me closer, but to cradle my face, his thumbs gently stroking my tear-streaked cheeks. "Bella," he rasped, his voice thick with emotion, "don’t say that. Not for a second. You are not broken. And neither am I. We are... us. And us, we can survive anything."

He pulled away, not dropping my hands entirely, but holding them loosely, as if afraid I might dissolve. He looked around the sterile room, his gaze lingering on the IV drip, then back to me, his eyes blazing with a fierce resolve I hadn’t seen in them before. "You’re right. You’re absolutely right. This has gone too far. The attacks, the pain you’ve endured... and I have curbed it."

He paused, searching my face, his gaze intense. "Clara... yes, I told you she was behind the gala. And she was. But to think I planned it with her? That I would ever, ever conspire to hurt you, love? That’s where you’re wrong. Isabella, if anything, I was trying to protect you from her, from her schemes. She was just a childish person that loved me."

He released a shaky breath. "I know that doesn’t change what happened. It doesn’t erase the pain. But I need you to know, with every fiber of your being, that I would never, ever willingly cause you such harm. The thought of it... it tears me apart."

He looked down at my stomach again, his eyes darkening with a grief that mirrored my own. "Our child... Bella, I am so, so sorry. I was so blinded by my own blind spot, by my inability to see how they were playing me, how they were using my own power against me. I was so focused on the threats to myself, I didn’t see the danger closing in on you. I let my enemies win this battle. And that is a failure I will carry forever."

He met my eyes, his own brimming with unshed tears. "But it’s not the end. This isn’t the end of us. What they’ve done... it’s a declaration of war. And I will see it through. I will hunt down every single person responsible for this. For you and mother. For our child. I will not rest until they have paid. And I will make sure that you, princess, will never, ever have to fear for your life, or for your loved ones, again."

He held my gaze, his voice lowering, becoming a plea. "You say you don’t want to survive me anymore. But what if we don’t have to survive separately? What if we can build something from this wreckage? A fortress, made of our love, stronger than any of the attacks. You are not a distraction, Bella. You are my anchor. You are my world. And losing you, losing what we had... that is the only thing that truly breaks me."

He slowly reached out again, not to my face, but to my hand, his fingers gently interlacing with mine. This time, I didn’t pull away. His touch was warm, a small ember against the cold despair consuming me.

"I know I haven’t been the man you deserve, not consistently," he admitted, his voice rough. "I’ve been reckless, I’ve been blinded, and I’ve been a fool. But I’m learning. And you’ve taught me so much. You’ve shown me what it means to truly love, to trust, to build. You gave me a dream before I even knew I wanted one. And I’m not letting it go. Not now. Not ever."

He brought our joined hands to his lips, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "Let me protect you, Bella. Not just from them, but from the pain that’s trying to consume you. Let me help you heal. Let me help us rebuild. Please. Let me try."

I couldn’t look at him. I stared straight ahead at the wall, unable to process his pain on top of my own. I wasn’t sure if I meant it, but the grief needed a target, and he was the only thing close enough to absorb it.

"All I know," I said, my voice empty, "is that I was drowning in debt when you found me," I continued, speaking to the sheets, to the air, to anyone but him. "I was poor, exhausted, struggling. But I was safe

. I used to worry about the rent. Now, I worry about surviving the week. I used to go to sleep afraid of my landlord. Now, I go to sleep afraid of assassins, and my family and my reputation, and being injured without knowing who targeted, who is after my life or worse."

I looked up, meeting his horrified gaze.

"The price of loving you is too high, Adrien. It costs me my life, piece by piece. It cost me my sanity. And today, it cost me my future. Before you, I was just surviving. And now... I have nothing left to survive for."

His large hand moved toward my arm. "Don’t say that. Please. You have me. We have each other. We will get through this. We will mourn together, my love."

"You once told me you wanted to make me your peace," I said softly. "But I’ve never felt full peace with you, Adrien. Only pauses between disasters."

"You’re right," he rasped, bowing his head slightly in concession. "You are right to blame me. But Isabella, I love you. I swear to you, I will burn down every structure, dismantle every empire, if it means you are safe."

"And that’s the problem," I whispered. "You keep burning things."

The silence after my words felt like the earth itself had stopped breathing.

Adrien just stared at me, unmoving. The IV monitor beeped softly between us, cruelly steady.

My fingers trembled as they brushed over the ring. That small circle of rose gold and diamonds, once warm with meaning, now burned against my skin. Slowly, I slid it. My fingers shook as I twisted it off, and for a second, it caught on my knuckle like it didn’t want to leave. Then it slid free.

The sound it made when it hit the bed sheet was so small it almost didn’t exist—and yet, it was deafening.

"I don’t want to do this again," I whispered.