Freya's POV I let out a hollow laugh, the kind that tasted of ashes, and my lips twisted into a bitter curl. My eyes lowered, lashes shielding the storm in them. "I'll move out of here," I said quietly. "The hundred million I borrowed is in Jocelyn's private account. I'll submit the account details to you. The interest-I'll transfer it straight to your name. As for Jocelyn, hand her to the authorities if you wish. I'll provide every piece of transaction evidence between her and me." My voice was steady, stripped of the fury that had burned only moments ago. It sounded detached, like I was merely cataloging business matters. Yet the words made Silas flinch as though I'd driven a blade into his ribs. "You don't need to move out," he blurted, panic crackling in the air like lightning before a storm. "I'll move. This can still be your place. Stay as long as you want-forever, if you wish." I shook my head. "This is your apartment, Silas. I was only a guest here. It's me who should leave." "Freya, please," he begged, his voice rough with desperation. "Don't go." Every instinct in him screamed it-he knew as well as I did. The moment I left this place, there would be no coming back. It would be the end. "I'm leaving," I said again, firmer this time. My gaze rose, locking with his. "And one more thing-" I paused, steadying the tremor in my chest, before I delivered the final blow. "We're done." His pupils constricted, shock rippling through him like an earthquake. "Done? You mean…" His throat worked. "…you want to break up with me?" "Yes." My lips curved, but the smile was a fragile, broken thing. "I want to break up." The words tasted like venom on my tongue, but they were the only truth left between us. I had once dreamed of a future with him-hand in hand, white-haired, a bond that nothing could sever. I had even planned that after my journey to the borderlands in search of Eric-whether I returned victorious or empty-handed-I would marry Silas. I had trusted in that future. But that future had died the moment he chose silence over truth. "I won't accept it!" Silas's growl tore through the air, wolf-raw and feral. "I know I wronged you by hiding what happened with your brother. I know you're angry. I'll stay away. I won't disturb you. Just… just give me time. When your fury burns out, we can speak again."I shook my head. "Whether my anger fades or not doesn't matter. I can't do this anymore." His face contorted in disbelief. "You'd end everything… just because of one lie?" "One lie is enough." My voice cracked, my heart splitting open with the words. "You know what I've always wanted in love. Absolute trust. Complete honesty. And now… how could I ever believe you again?" He surged forward, closing the space between us in a heartbeat, and crushed me against him in a desperate embrace. That warmth-his arms, his scent, once my sanctuary-now strangled me. Because in his embrace, all I could see was Eric. My brother, bloodied and desperate, dragged mercilessly aside by Silas's men while Silas himself sat motionless in the back seat. "Freya," Silas whispered against my hair, his voice breaking. "I know I wasn't obligated to save your brother. But I cannot bear that you hate me for it. If only… if only I had told you sooner, instead of letting you find out like this, maybe-maybe things would be different. Maybe you wouldn't look at me with such loathing." I shoved him back, my palms pressing hard against his chest. He stumbled, desperation flashing across his face. I turned and strode to the bedroom, yanking a suitcase from the closet. My hands moved fast, too fast, shoving my belongings inside as though packing them away could ease the anguish burning my veins. Silas followed me, his voice ragged. "If I had told you from the start-would you have forgiven me? Would you have spared me this hatred?" I froze, my hands fisting in the fabric of a sweater. The truth? I didn't know. Even now, I couldn't find the answer. But I knew one thing for certain-if he had confessed back then, the betrayal would not cut so deep. When Jocelyn's poisonous words reached my ears earlier today, it had been like a sword hacking into me over and over again. That pain… that sense of betrayal… would scar me for life. "Don't leave me." Silas's voice cracked, scraping raw. He moved closer, his presence trembling with barely restrained panic. "Freya, I beg you. I hid it because I love you too much. Because I cared too much. I didn't dare gamble. I couldn't risk losing you if you knew I had once stood by while your brother bled. You're too righteous, too uncompromising. Eric means the world to you. How could I chance it? If I told you then, you might have walked away before you'd even truly chosen me." He swallowed hard, his words tumbling, pleading. "So I told myself I'd wait. That I'd keep it buried until I found him, until I could hand him back to you with both hands. Only then would I confess. I thought… I thought that was the only way to keep you."I turned my face away, refusing to look at him. Because every time I looked at him, my heart screamed in agony. "I've already decided," I whispered, folding another garment and laying it into the suitcase. He lunged forward and seized my wrist, his grip trembling. "But you promised me. You swore, Freya. You told me that no matter what I did-so long as it wasn't crime or treason-you would forgive me." His words twisted the knife deeper. I stared down at his hand on my wrist, his knuckles white with desperation, and I thought of the vow I had once made, back when I still believed in him. Back when I thought our love was unshakable. Now, the vow lay shattered, scattered in the ashes of broken trust.