The weight of suspicion pressed down on them both, poisoning the air with doubt. Dmitri found himself questioning every face, every word, every gesture. He pushed Elías away, afraid of the vulnerability that burned beneath his skin, convinced that anyone could be a betrayer.
"Why are you doing this?" Elías asked, his voice tight with hurt.
Dmitri turned away, unable to meet his gaze. "I'm protecting you."
"By pushing me away?" Elías challenged, stepping closer. "Or are you just afraid to trust me?"
The silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken fears and unresolved pain.
"I can't lose you," Dmitri finally whispered, his voice raw with vulnerability. "But if I let you too close, they'll use you against me."
Elías's heart ached at the desperation in Dmitri's eyes. "Then let's fight them together," he pleaded. "Don't shut me out."
But Dmitri's fear was a wall between them, and as the shadows closed in, Elías wondered if their love could survive the storm of treachery that threatened to engulf them both.