The room went silent after Sophia's words, her voice trembling: "Then maybe I'm the one who has to choose."
My heart plummeted. I couldn't breathe or think. The only sickening certainty was that I had finally broken the only bond that had anchored me through every storm.
"Sophia," my voice cracked as I stood, desperate to reach her. "Please don't. I can't, and I won't choose between both of you. "You're my best friend, and you are my family." That hasn't changed, and it never will, not in this life, Sophia."
Tears blurred my vision. "Yes, I love Tristan, and denying my feelings isn't something I could do now. But that doesn't mean I'll stop needing you. You've been with me through everything, Sophia, and nothing can erase that. I need you as much as I would need Tristan." My tears fall.
Sophia's gaze flicked to me; her expression was torn, and for a moment, I thought I'd lost her forever. But then, slowly, she looked away from Tristan and back at me.
"You really love him, Ellie," she whispered, almost as if testing the words on her tongue.
I nodded, my throat tight. "With everything I am."
Her shoulders slumped, and she let out a shaky laugh that sounded too close to a sob. "God, Ellie. Only you would fall for him."
Tristan stiffened but said nothing. His silence pressed heavily on the room.
Sophia rubbed her temples before finally meeting my eyes again. "I could never hate you, Ellie. I couldn't do it, even if I wanted to. But I need you to understand that this family isn't that simple. He's not simple either, Ellie. My big brother, Tristan, carries more weight than you realise, and I don't want you to be crushed under it."
The knot in my chest loosened, just a fraction. I was relieved she wasn't rejecting us, but she feared what the future might bring us.
"I know he's not simple," I whispered. "But I see him, Sophia, with all of him, and I'm not afraid of the weight. I want to carry this burden, these responsibilities, together with him."
For the first time all night, her face softened. Her lips trembled as if she were fighting another flood of tears.
"I just needed to hear that, Ellie," she said. "That you know and understand what you're stepping into because if he ever hurts you, Ellie, if he ever lets that darkness swallow you, he knows I won't forgive him. Brother or not."
Tristan finally moved, his voice rough, unyielding. "I swear I won't let anything happen to her, Sophia. Not while I'm still breathing in this world." Tristan vowed.
Sophia held his stare for a long, tense moment and turned back to me, reaching out to squeeze my hand. "Then I guess I'll just have to trust you both."
With relief, my knees nearly gave out. For the first time in days, hope didn't feel dangerous; it felt real.
As peace settled between us, we suddenly heard Edward Donovan's voice boom from the hallway: "Tristan. Ellie. My office, now!"