The Choice

Amelia's POV The question hangs between us like a loaded gun, and I don't know if pulling the trigger means survival or suicide. "Are you serious?" My voice is sharp, defensive. "You fly halfway around the world and think you can just—what, ask me out like we're normal people? Like you didn't spend months manipulating me? Like asking me to be your girlfriend fixes anything?" "No." He doesn't flinch from my anger. "It doesn't fix anything. But it's honest. For the first time since I met you, I'm being completely, terrifyingly honest." "Honest?" A laugh escapes me, bitter and broken. "You don't know how to be honest, Victor. You built an entire relationship on lies. Created a whole persona to control me while pretending to be someone else. And now you want me to believe you've changed in three months?" "I haven't changed." The admission stops me cold. "Not fundamentally. I'm still the man who watched his parents destroy each other and swore he'd never risk that kind of pain. I'm still te