Chapter 33

Sarah's POV

I couldn't speak. The intensity of his stare, the weight of his words, left me paralyzed. He leaned in, his face inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin.

"I've been watching you, protecting you," he continued. "I've tried to fight it, to bury it, but I can't anymore. Not when I see the way he treats you. Not when I know the danger you're in."

His hands slid slightly, his thumbs brushing against my sides in a way that made my pulse quicken. There was something almost possessive in the way he held me, as if he was staking a silent claim.

"I would never let anything happen to you," Axel whispered, his voice low and intimate, each word wrapped in unspoken promise.

His lips were so close to my ear that his breath sent a shiver down my spine. My knees felt weak, my resolve wavering under the intensity of his gaze.

"Axel, please," I managed, my voice barely above a whisper. "This... this is wrong."

His eyes softened, but the desire in them didn't waver. "I'm not asking for anything, Sarah," he said. "I just needed you to know."

For a long moment, neither of us moved. The room seemed to hum with unspoken tension, the space between us charged with something I couldn't name. Then, slowly, Axel released his hold on me, stepping back but never breaking eye contact.

"Lets go" he said.

Axel's POV

The night wrapped around us like a velvet shroud, thick with tension and the weight of words left unsaid. The mansion, its gothic spires slicing into the starless sky, loomed behind us as Sarah followed me into the gardens. The air was sharp with the scent of damp earth and autumn leaves, the perfect cover for secrets whispered in the dark.

I had to tell her. She had to know how i feel for her- that it wasn't lust, it wasn't just attraction or some passing feeling.

We stopped beneath the ancient oak tree, its gnarled branches casting shadows that danced in the pale glow of the moon. Sarah's breath rose in soft clouds, her lips slightly parted as she turned to face me.

"What's wrong, Axel?" she asked, her voice low but steady.

I hesitated, the words battling inside me. But there was no more time for silence, no more time for hiding. I had to say it. For both our sakes. "Sarah, I-" My heart beat faster, and I could see her bracing for whatever was coming next, like a storm was about to break.

I'm in love with you, Sarah," I said, the words raw and unfiltered, as if torn from the deepest part of me. "Hopelessly, irrevocably in love with you."

Her breath hitched, and for a moment, she stood frozen, as if the weight of my confession had rendered her immobile.

"I've loved you since the first time I saw you," I continued, my voice thick with emotion. "Before you were pulled into this cursed family, before you became Eren's wife. And every day since, I've been dying a little more inside."

"I know it's wrong," I continued, my voice dropping to a whisper, "but I can't help it, Sarah. I'm not asking for anything from you. I just needed you to know. The truth, before you leave to see your aunts"

"Axel..." Her voice was barely a whisper, her eyes shimmering with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

Her face was pale, her eyes searching mine, a mix of confusion and something deeper that I couldn't name. She didn't speak for a long moment, and I thought for a second she might turn away completely, running from me and everything I had just laid bare.

"I don't know what to say, Axel," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"I'm not expecting you to say anything," I replied quickly, stepping closer, my heart pounding. "I just wanted to be honest with you. You deserve that."

Her eyes locked with mine, and for a fleeting moment, I saw something in her expression shift. It was like a wall she had carefully constructed between us had cracked open, just a little. But then, just as quickly, she masked it, pulling away, putting the distance back between us.

"Axel"-

"No, listen to me," I interrupted, stepping closer, my pulse pounding in my ears. "I've held this back for too long, and I can't anymore. Not when you're about to walk out of that gate, even if it's just for a little while."

She tilted her head, her eyes searching mine. "What are you talking about?"

I took another step closer, our bodies mere inches apart now. "I can't stand seeing you with him," I confessed, my voice trembling with the force of years of bottled-up frustration. "Every time he touches you, every time he calls you his, it feels like I'm being torn apart. And yet, I've stayed silent, because I thought that was what you needed from me."

Her gaze flickered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I can't let you walk out of here without knowing," I said, my hand lifting instinctively to wipe the tear from her face. My fingers lingered against her skin, the softness a stark contrast to the storm raging within me. "If something happens to you, I'll never forgive myself for not telling you the truth."

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, leaning into my touch ever so slightly, and when she opened them again, they were filled with a mixture of sadness and something deeper, something that sent a spark of hope surging through me.

"Axel," she murmured, her voice trembling, "I never knew you felt this way."

"I've hidden it well," I said, my lips curling into a bitter smile. "But every time I've warned you, every time I've tried to pull you away from Eren's darkness, it was because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you to him. Or to this cursed family."

Her hands trembled at her sides, and I wanted nothing more than to take them in mine, to hold her and shield her from everything that threatened to tear her apart.

"You don't have to go through this alone," I said, my voice softening as I took her hands in mine. "Whatever you find out from your aunts, whatever truth they reveal, I'll be here. I'll fight for you, Sarah. Always."

Her eyes searched mine, and for a fleeting moment, I saw a flicker of something I'd longed for-an unspoken connection, a shared longing that had been buried beneath the weight of our circumstances.

Stepping even closer. My hands slid to her waist, drawing her to me until there was barely a breath between us. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and I could feel the warmth of her body through the thin fabric of her coat.

"Sarah," I whispered, leaning in until my lips brushed against the shell of her ear. "I would never let anything happen to you. You mean more to me than you'll ever know."

Her breath caught, and I felt her shiver under my touch. The tension between us was electric, a force that neither of us could deny.

She turned her head slightly, her face so close to mine that our foreheads nearly touched. Her eyes locked onto mine, and for a moment, time seemed to stand still.

"I don't know what to say," she admitted, her voice barely audible.

"You don't have to say anything," I said, my gaze dropping to her lips for a fraction of a second before returning to her eyes. "Just know that I'm here. Always."

The sound of an approaching car broke the spell, and Sarah pulled back slightly, her expression conflicted.

"We need to go," she said, her voice laced with urgency.

I nodded, reluctantly releasing her. Together, we moved swiftly through the shadows, staying out of sight until we reached the outer gate.

The car was waiting just beyond, its engine idling softly in the still night. I opened the gate for her, my heart clenching as she stepped through.

"Be careful," I said, my voice hoarse. And come back to me - i whispered to myself

She hesitated, her eyes lingering on mine. "I will."

And then she was gone, disappearing into the car that would take her away from Blackwood Manor, if only for a time.

As the taillights vanished into the distance, I stood alone beneath the ancient oak, the night air cold against my skin. But for the first time in years, the weight of my unspoken love felt a little lighter.

Because now, she knew.