“I don’t regret marrying you,” she interrupted gently. “But I can’t stay with someone who doesn’t love me the same way I love him.”
For the first time, her voice became slightly unsteady.
Very slight.
Barely noticeable.
“Even if I have to live alone for the rest of my life…” she whispered, looking directly into his eyes, “I’ll never stay with someone who can discard me so easily.”
“I do feel the same.”
The words left Elias’s mouth instantly, without even a second of hesitation.
“I loved you. I still love you.”
His voice was rough and desperate, like he was terrified she wouldn’t believe him.
But Amara barely reacted.
Instead, she looked at him calmly and said, “Let’s end things on good terms.”
His expression went blank.
The way she looked at him made something inside him turn cold.
There was no love in her eyes anymore. No attachment. No longing.
She looked at him like he was a stranger she was trying to part with politely instead of the man she had spent years loving.
Elias wasn’t used to it.
He wasn’t used to her looking at him without emotions.
“We can still stay friends,” she continued quietly. “But there won’t be anything more between us ever again.”
Her voice stayed calm and steady as she turned to leave.
Then—
“Amara.”
She paused and turned to look at him, a question in her eyes. The next second, Elias grabbed her wrist and snatched her back against him.
Before she could react, his other hand cupped her face. His head dipped and he kissed her like an animal.
His mouth roughly moved against hers without letting her breathe. His lips pressed over hers, his tongue slipping out and hungrily dragging against hers, his mouth sucking her lips into his to taste her.
“Mm…” Amara whimpered into the kiss. She could barely move; he was holding her so tight while his mouth claimed her, licking and pulling at her like a man starved, desperate to take in every bit of her taste.
Amara’s eyes widened in shock.
She immediately pushed against his chest, trying to shove him away, but Elias refused to let go. His grip tightened around her waist as he deepened the kiss, almost frantic, like he was losing his mind.
Her breathing became uneven.
Her mind went blank from the sudden intensity of it.
Finally, the kiss broke.