Chapter 152

My mouth dropped open. For a second, I just stared at him, completely frozen. Twenty-one? He was only twenty-one? Th number kept echoing in my head as I slowly pulled my hand away from his, the warmth of his fingers suddenly feeling distant.

Viktor watched me carefully, worry etched across his face. “You promised you wouldn’t overreact,” he reminded me gently his voice soft but steady.

I breathed deeply, trying to calm the swirl of emotions rising in my chest – shock, confusion, and a tiny spark of betrayal closed my eyes for a moment, forcing the air in and out.

“I am…

finding it,” I said finally, my voice quieter than I expected. “But why didn’t you tell me a long time ago?”

He looked down at the hospital sheets, guilt flickering in his eyes. “I was scared you wouldn’t give me a chance,” he admitte “You’re so put-together, so mature… I thought if you knew I was younger, you might see me differently. Like I was just a kid or something. But Scarlett, I have really loved you ever since I met you. And I’m still madly in love with you.”

The sincerity in his voice cracked something inside me. All the weeks of guilt, the fear of losing him, the relief of him waking up it all collided with this new piece of information. He had lied, yes… but the way he was looking at me right now, vulnerable and honest, made it hard to stay angry.