I walked along, the silence between us suffocating. The only sounds were the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of insects, a cruel contrast to the turmoil brewing inside me. I felt trapped, stuck in a situation I had never intended to be in. Eros's gaze burned into the back of my head, his unspoken questions and accusations hanging in the air like a challenge. Why was I doing this? Why was I shutting him out?
I longed to turn to him, to explain everything, to unburden myself of the secrets and fears that had been weighing me down. But something inside me refused to let go, a stubborn, self-protective instinct that warned me to keep my guard up, to trust no one, not even him.
The irony was infuriating. I had trusted the Crown Prince, a man I barely knew, and yet I couldn't bring myself to be honest with Eros, the one person who had been by my side and been nothing but supportive. Why was I being so stubborn? Why couldn't I just confide in Eros and be done with it?
