Night slowly descended over the mansion, cloaking the tense silence that lingered throughout the place. Cristal, restless, felt the cold breeze cutting to the bone, but her heart pulsed with a warmth that only one name could awaken: Rasen.
"I gave her a direct order not to come, under any circumstances."The words still echoed in her mind as her skin reacted to the soft brush of fingertips. The touch, rather than soothing her, sent a tremor through her spine. She turned slowly to face him, fear flickering behind her gaze.
—"Rasen, where have you been?"—she asked, her voice trembling and heavy with reproach.
The door had opened without her noticing. There he was, as imposing as he was distant, and the swirl of love and pain inside her pushed her toward him.
—"You shouldn't have come, Cristal,"—Rasen replied softly, casting a glance toward Lionel, who stood a few meters away.
—"I insisted,"—she replied, unable to hide the storm of emotions rising within her.
Her skin glowed under the dim light, beautiful and dangerous all at once. Without thinking, Cristal ran into his arms, seeking solace in his embrace.
—"I missed you..."—she whispered, burying her face in his chest.
But the man holding her was no longer the same. His gestures were cold, his eyes hollow, and the words that left his lips struck her like a blade:
—"Thank you for loving me, Cristal."
It wasn't what she expected to hear. The tenderness she longed for had turned into distant gratitude, as if he no longer knew how to return her love.
Hand in hand, they walked the silent garden — a short walk that meant more to Cristal than he could ever know. Finally, Rasen let himself drop onto the grass, eyes fixed on the sky, his thoughts lost in a place she couldn't reach.
—"You're like fireflies..."—he murmured suddenly, his voice distant and unreadable.
—"What do you mean?"—Cristal asked, sitting beside him.
Rasen closed his eyes as if trying to escape the moment, but she didn't give up. She leaned closer, inhaling the scent of the flowers mingled with his skin, searching for the connection that seemed to fade with every heartbeat.
Her fingers drifted across his firm abdomen, stopping at the tattoo that fascinated her — a design that seemed to hold dark secrets.
—"What are you doing?"—he asked sharply, his eyes snapping open as he gripped her wrist with unexpected strength.
—"Nothing... I just think you're too handsome, i dont think to go leave, less abandon you, it would be an unnecessary loss."
—she said with a forced smile, trying to hide her vulnerability.
—"I wish you were mine alone."—Then, in a hesitant whisper:—"Maybe we could have a child... What do you think?"
The words hung in the air, and Rasen's expression froze. His eyes, once nostalgic, darkened into something unreadable.
—"You know I can't give you that,"—he said hoarsely, standing up abruptly.
Cristal remained on the grass, alone, feeling the ground collapse beneath her. The stars blinking above felt like echoes of something once beautiful—now out of reach.
Suddenly, Lionel appeared, worry etched on his face.
—"It's late, Cristal. Time for dinner. If you don't eat, you'll get sick."
—"Rasen sent you, didn't he?"—she asked without turning.
—"I came because I'm worried about you. You've lost so much weight these last fifteen days,"—he replied gently but firmly.
Cristal didn't answer. She walked to the riverbank and dipped her hand into the icy water, as if trying to extinguish the fire within her. The ripples reflected a face she barely recognized. And at that moment, a familiar hug enveloped her from behind.
—"Cristal, you took a long time to come back," Rasen whispered, resting his forehead against her hair. "Don't look away from the sky."
The words echoed in her mind, fragments of something she couldn't quite grasp. She tried to turn to face him, but he held her tightly, as if afraid she would vanish.
—"You're like burning fire… immense, dangerous… and beautiful,"—he murmured, his voice thick with emotion.
The silence that followed was as intense like the beat of their hearts. For a moment, Cristal felt she might reach through the walls Rasen had built. But when she tried to get closer, he stepped back, breaking the moment.
—"I have to go,"—her voice a broken whisper.
That night, Cristal woke alone in her room. The first light of dawn filtered through the curtains, illuminating a world that felt as empty as her chest. On the nightstand lay a note with only one sentence:
"Fire cannot be contained without burning everything down."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she pressed the note against his chest. Loving him was like standing at the edge of a cliff— dangerous and inevitable. Even through the pain, she couldn't stop wanting him and wish for it.