Kapitel 86: No Going Back

- VANESSA -

Lying awake in bed, I was trying to understand this cavern that has opened in my heart and the grief that's gnawing at it, threatening to make it bigger. I'm not wrong about what I feel. The minute Dominik wrapped me in his arms tonight, I felt safe. Whenever he touches me, it's a safety that I've never felt before, because he's the first one to shield me from the shadows. 

I told him I loved him, and maybe I should regret it. Maybe I'm naive, but I know what I feel. But then he left me here without returning it—forcing me to confront the vulnerability of what I've just done by saying those words, by offering him something I've never offered anyone before… not like this.