Isabella sat on the edge of her bed, knees drawn close, her fingers gripping the sheets. The room felt too large. Too silent. Too heavy with everything she now knew.She had run.She had been brought back.And now… there would be no pretending anymore.
A soft knock sounded at the door.
She didn't answer.
The door opened anyway.
Elijah stepped inside, the faintest shadow of exhaustion beneath his eyes. He didn't look angry anymore. Not cold.Something quieter.Something she couldn't read.
He approached slowly, as if she were something breakable.
"Isabella," he said softly.
She didn't look at him. "What do you want?"
He didn't speak at first. Instead, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box. Black. Elegant. Heavy in meaning.
Her heart stopped.
"No," she whispered.
"It's time," Elijah said gently. "Not for the ceremony. Just… the acknowledgment."
He opened the box.
Inside lay a ring.Gold, but old gold—warm-toned, rich, beautifully simple. A single small diamond set in the center. Not flashy. Not decorative.
Meaningful.
Her breath trembled.She didn't reach for it.
"Elijah…" Her voice cracked."You can't just—"
"I'm not here to trap you again," he said quietly. "I already know you feel trapped. I'm not blind."He took a slow breath."But this was always meant for you. Long before you ran. Long before last night. Long before you were afraid of me."
She finally looked at him.Dark eyes. Unreadable. But not cruel.
"Is this supposed to make me feel better?" she asked.
"No," he answered. "It's supposed to tell you the truth."
He took her hand—gently, like he was asking permission even as he acted.
"This isn't a cage," he said."It's a name. A promise."
She didn't pull away.
He slid the ring onto her finger.It fit perfectly.
Her heart pounded, uneven, painful.
"Elijah…" she whispered again, voice barely there. "I don't know how to feel. I don't know how to be calm about any of this."
"You don't have to be," he said.His thumb brushed her knuckles."I'm not asking you to love me. I'm asking you to let time work."
His voice lowered, rougher.
"And I'm asking you not to run from me again."
That made her breath catch.
He didn't kiss her.He didn't touch her more.He simply stepped back, eyes lingering like he didn't want to leave but knew he must.
"I'll give you the night to think," he said, stepping toward the door. "But tomorrow, we move forward. Together."
He left.
The room was silent again.
Isabella looked down at the ring.Her hands shook.
Something glimmered on the inside of the band.She leaned closer.
And her breath stopped entirely.
Elijah + Isabellaengraved softly, carefullyas though carved by someone who didn't want to bruise the gold.
Not dates.Not titles.Not obligations.
Just two names.
Two people.
She closed her hand around it, her pulse a wild thing beneath her skin.
She didn't know if it felt like belonging.
Or fate.
Or a warning.
But it felt real.
And she couldn't ignore that anymore.