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“No, you didn’t,” he said, tone certain.

I let out a breath and scowled at my lap. “Of course I didn’t. Despite what your father thinks, I can’t be bought.”

The shadow of a smile appeared on his face, then faded. “Don’t leave.”

“I won’t be the reason you lose everything, Camden.”

“You are my everything,” he whispered.

I shook my head. “We just started seeing each other. I’m not— I can’t be⁠—”

He grabbed my wrists a little too tightly. “You are.”

“You don’t need me. All I do is take from you. The longer you’re with me, the more you lose.”

“That’s not—” He cut himself off with a curse. “I’ve been chasing you since we were just kids running around this town, and I’ve lived off the scraps of attention you’ve seen fit to give me. I won’t go back to that, Shay. You said you loved me. You can’t take it away.”

“But—”

“Being with you doesn’t take anything. You are everything to me. Being near you is like staring at the goddamn sun. Your imprint is burned into my vision, and I don’t care if I’m blinded. I want you more than anything else.”

Fresh tears blurred my eyes, and I lifted my gaze to the ceiling, swallowing in a vain attempt to stifle them.

“Don’t do this,” he said in a hoarse voice. “You’re killing me, Honeycutt.”

A tear fell that I swiped away. “People don’t die from love.”

He laughed once—a bitter, angry sound. “No. They’re only tortured, right?”

“No, that’s not— I’m trying to do the right thing for you. You said you wanted to be set free, right? I⁠—”

“You think the prison I live in is imposed by my father, but you’re wrong. You are my prison, Shay. I’ve been waiting to be caught for years, and I’m finally, finally here, kissing you between the bars. I don’t want to be free. I want to be yours.” He grabbed my hand and splayed it over his heart. “Take it. It’s yours. You already live deep inside it. If you walk away, I won’t be free. I’ll be shackled and alone.”

Oh, god. Could he make this any harder? I shook my head, swallowing painfully, taking my hand from his chest.

“Don’t,” he said in a harsh whisper, the storms in his eyes glistening. “Please.”

“Cam—”

His face fractured, and he looked at the floor. Inside me, broken pieces scattered about, the agony building with each breath I took. My muddled, devastated mind tried to reason through another alternative, some way for us both to have everything, but there was no solution. No matter which path we chose, we’d both lose something.

I wandered toward the path that would take the least from him. “Maybe—maybe we just need some time to think⁠—”

“I don’t need time. I know what I choose. What I’ll always choose.”

“Just think about it, Camden,” I pleaded. “I want you to really think about this. You love your father, and I don’t want to come between⁠—”

He laughed humorlessly. “Do you think there’s a chance in hell this won’t permanently scar my relationship with my father? You are the love of my life, and he’s taking you away as, what? A power trip? Some move to prove he still has absolute control over my life?”

I took his face in my hands. “Just think about it. I love you, and I want what’s best for you. I don’t think that’s me.”

He stared at me, eyes bright. “You’re wrong.”

My lips pursed, and I said nothing.

“If I think about it and still choose you, will you let me do that?”

Air left my lungs in slow motion. Would I let him choose me when I believed down to the pits of my soul that it was the wrong decision?