Chapter 11
The Hard Choice
Kaelen realizes that keeping Elara with him now will destroy her fragile life. Stripping her of her humanity, her youth, and her natural life just to satisfy his own heart would not be fair. He spends a sleepless night watching her breathe, his hand on her cheek. In the morning, he tells her the truth: the pendant is killing her. He cannot let her die for him. The decision tears him apart, but his love for her means he must let her go.
The cottage had never felt so small.
Kaelen stood at the window, watching the tide drag itself across the rocks in the pale gray light of dawn. His hands rested flat against the worn wooden sill, fingers spread, grounding himself in something solid. The ocean breathed in and out with a rhythm that should have been soothing, but all he could hear was the frantic, fragile drumming of Elara’s heart against his own chest.
*Seventy-four beats per minute. Too fast. Too fragile. Too human.*
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