I CAN’T LOSE YOU

IVAN POV

"I'm going to become Arthiana!" Arianne announced, her voice unwavering.

I froze, turning slowly to look at her. The words hung in the air between us, like a strange fog clouding the familiar warmth of our living room. She stood there, her arms crossed, lips pressed together in that determined way she always had when she made up her mind about something. But this? This couldn't be real.

"Arianne," I began, shaking my head with a bemused grin. "Come on. That's…that's funny. Right? You can't be serious."

Her expression didn't waver. My smile faded as the silence stretched. She wasn't laughing. She wasn't even smirking. She just stared at me, her eyes unwavering, full of a resolve I hadn't anticipated.

"You are serious," I muttered, more to myself than to her. My stomach tightened, a dull ache settling in as I struggled to wrap my mind around it.

"Yes, I am," she replied, her voice even and measured. "I'm going to become Arthiana."