Tiana woke up to silence.
Not the lonely kind.
The soft kind.
The kind that only existed in the few quiet moments before the world came rushing back.
For a second, she forgot where she was.
Then she felt the warmth beside her.
Dare.
He was still asleep, one arm around her waist, his face turned slightly toward her like even in sleep he was afraid she might leave.
Tiana looked at him for a long moment.
The morning light slipped through the curtains and across his face, softer than she had ever seen him.
He looked younger like this.
Less like the boy everyone whispered about.
Less like the son of powerful people.
Just Dare.
Her Dare.
The thought scared her a little.
Because loving him had become dangerous.
As if he felt her looking at him, Dare opened his eyes slowly.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then he smiled.
A small, sleepy smile.
"Hi."
Tiana laughed quietly.
"Hi."
He pulled her a little closer.
"Are you still angry with me?"
She looked down.
"A little."
"I deserve that."
"Yes."
He smiled faintly.
Then his expression changed.
More serious this time.
"Tiana… there's something I need to tell you."
Immediately, her stomach tightened.
He sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair.
"My parents have been planning this for years," he said quietly. "The girl. The marriage. Everything."
Tiana stayed still.
"They think if I marry her, it will help both families. More money. More connections. The perfect image."
"And what do you think?"
Dare looked at her so quickly it almost hurt.
"I think I do not care about any of that."
"Tare—"
"I mean it."
His voice was sharper now. More desperate.
"I do not want her. I do not want the life they keep choosing for me."
He looked away for a second.
"They told me if I did not end things with you, they would transfer me."
The room went still.
Tiana stared at him.
"What?"
"I know."
"You were just not going to tell me?"
"I was trying to stop it first."
"And if you couldn't?"
Dare said nothing.
That was enough.
Tiana got out of bed too quickly.
"So that was it?" she asked, her voice shaking. "You were just going to wake up one day and disappear?"
"No."
"Then what?"
He stood up immediately.
"I was trying to protect you."
She laughed bitterly.
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true!"
"No, Dare," she said, turning to face him. "You are trying to protect yourself from watching me leave first."
The words hit him hard.
Because they were true.
He had been so afraid of losing her that he had nearly done the one thing that would make it happen.
"Tiana—"
"No. Listen to me this time."
Her eyes were bright now.
"If you want me, then stop making decisions for me."
He stared at her.
"You do not get to decide what I can handle."
The silence between them felt heavy.
Then slowly, Dare stepped closer.
"I am sorry," he said quietly.
And this time, he meant it in a different way.
Not just for hiding things.
But for not trusting her enough to stay.
Tiana looked at him for a long moment.
Then she reached for his hand.
"Next time," she whispered, "we fight together."
Dare closed his eyes briefly and held her hand tighter.
"Okay."
Then, from somewhere across the room, his phone began to ring.
He looked down at the screen.
His father.
The moment shattered instantly.