Chapter Seven: The Weight of the Past

(Ariadne Asselina Ildelfonso's POV)

The moment I stepped aside and let Gavyn in, I knew—this was dangerous.

I wasn’t reckless. I wasn’t the girl who made impulsive decisions anymore. But standing there, watching him drip rainwater onto the pristine hotel carpet, his usually sharp demeanor replaced by something unsteady, I couldn’t turn him away.

Not yet.

He walked in slowly, his movements careful, as if he was wary of the space between us. I shut the door behind him, arms crossed, already regretting this.

"Are you drunk?" I asked, voice flat.

His lips quirked up, but there was no humor in it. "Would it matter?"

I hated that answer.

I hated that he was here.

But what I hated most?

The fact that part of me wanted him to be.

I inhaled sharply. "What do you want, Gavyn?"

For a long moment, he didn’t answer. He just… stared. His eyes, dark and unreadable, flickered over me like he was memorizing every detail, every shift in my expression.

Then he spoke.

"I think I made a mistake."

A sharp chill ran down my spine.

I forced myself to remain indifferent. "About what?"

His jaw tightened. "About letting you go."

I felt the words more than I heard them.

Like a knife slipping between ribs.

Like the slow burn of something you thought had already been extinguished.

I hated him for it.

I let out a hollow laugh. "You don’t get to say that."

His gaze flickered, but he didn’t look away. "I never stopped thinking about you."

"Don’t." My voice was cold, but my chest was burning. "You lost the right to say things like that a long time ago."

Gavyn exhaled, dragging a hand through his damp hair. "I know."

For a moment, he looked like the boy I once knew. The boy who used to trace lazy circles on my skin when he thought I was asleep. The boy who used to kiss me like I was the only thing keeping him sane.

But that boy was dead.

And the man standing in front of me was a stranger.

I swallowed hard, shoving down the storm rising inside me. "You need to leave."

His expression didn’t change, but something shifted in his eyes.

"You’re still scared of me."

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. "I’m not scared of you, Gavyn."

"You are," he murmured, stepping closer. "You’re terrified."

I went rigid. "I said leave."

His gaze flickered down to my hands.

They were shaking.

Damn it.

I curled them into fists, but it was too late. He had already seen.

His voice softened. "Ariadne Asselina Ildelfonso…"

My breath hitched.

He never said my full name.

Never.

It had always been kitten. Or Ariadne/Yannie. Or a lazy babe when he was teasing.

Hearing my name fall from his lips after all these years felt like reopening an old wound.

"I hate you," I whispered.

It was the only thing I could say. The only thing that made sense.

Gavyn didn’t flinch.

"I know."

And that was what broke me.

Because he said it like he accepted it.

Like he had already made peace with it.

I wanted to scream. To throw something. To make him hurt the way I had hurt.

Instead, I forced myself to breathe.

"You made your choice," I said. "You don’t get to rewrite the past just because you regret it now."

Silence stretched between us, thick and suffocating.

Then, finally—

"I’m sorry."

The words were soft. Raw.

They should have meant something.

They should have made a difference.

But they didn’t.

Because apologies didn’t erase scars.

I stepped back, putting space between us. "Get out."

Gavyn didn’t move.

I refused to look at him. "I mean it."

He exhaled slowly, his eyes lingering on me for a moment longer before he nodded.

"Goodnight, kitten."

Then he walked out the door.

And I was alone.

Sleep never came.

I tossed and turned, haunted by his voice, his words, the way he had looked at me.

By morning, I was exhausted.

But I forced myself to pull it together.

I had meetings to attend. A project to manage. A reputation to uphold.

So I shoved every lingering thought of Gavyn Del Herrera into the back of my mind and focused on work.

At least, that was the plan.

Until I walked into the conference room.

And froze.

Because sitting at the head of the table, perfectly composed and infuriatingly unreadable, was him.

As if nothing had happened.

As if last night never existed.

My stomach twisted.

I hated how effortlessly he slipped back into his professional mask.

I hated that I had spent the entire night unraveling while he sat here, calm and in control.

I hated him.

But I didn’t let it show.

I straightened my shoulders, smoothed out my blazer, and walked to my seat with practiced indifference.

The meeting began.

It was all business. Projections, logistics, deadlines.

And we played our roles perfectly.

No one in the room would have guessed that, just hours ago, we had stood inches apart, breathing in the ghosts of a past that refused to die.

But the moment the meeting ended and everyone began filing out—

I felt it.

A shift.

A presence.

I turned—

And there he was.

Standing too close. Watching too intently.

I inhaled sharply. "Don’t."

His lips curled into a smirk. "Don’t what?"

I clenched my jaw. "Whatever game you think you’re playing, I’m not interested."

Gavyn tilted his head slightly, studying me. "Who said it’s a game?"

I glared at him. "It always is with you."

For a moment, he didn’t answer.

Then—

"Not this time."

My breath caught.

But I didn’t believe him.

Because I couldn’t afford to.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do.

I walked away.

And I prayed that he wouldn’t follow.

But Gavyn Del Herrera had never been the type to walk away.

So why did I think he’d start now?

Because that night—

When I stepped into the elevator, thinking I had escaped—

A hand slipped between the doors, forcing them back open.

And then—

He stepped inside.

Alone.

With me.

The doors slid shut.

And the moment they did—

He turned to me, dark eyes burning with something undeniable.

"You can keep pretending, kitten," he murmured. "But we both know it’s not over."

My pulse thundered.

I was trapped.

Not just in the elevator.

But in this thing between us.

Because no matter how much I lied to myself—

Gavyn Del Herrera still had a hold on me.

And I was terrified it was one I’d never escape.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***