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polkadotzzzz · 29 days ago

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forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest!

synopsis: in a world of obligation and secrets, a woman’s heart is torn between a forced marriage and a love that can never be. her journey unfolds in heartbreak, desire, and unspoken grief.

a/n: gosh this took me so long,,,,i personally adore this work, it's tragic and angsty and hits all the right spots. it highlights the border between right and wrong. a forbidden love, meant to break you.

18+, mdni, secret relationships, mentions of childbirth, character death, loss, societal differences, brief intercourse scene between man and woman, homophobia, non- consensual intercourse, angst.

the scent of oil paints clung to your skin like a second soul.

even after scrubbing your hands raw, the rich stains of ultramarine and burnt umber lingered in the creases of your knuckles, like secrets you couldn’t wash away. in the gilded halls of your father’s estate, the colors were forbidden—at least in the way you used them. a lady of piltover was meant to collect art, not create it. especially not the kind you painted in the quiet hours after midnight—when the city was asleep and your heart was loudest.

tonight, like all the others, you slipped out beneath the silver hush of moonlight, skirts hitched, boots scuffed, a cloak hiding the finery of your station. your breath danced in the cold air as you descended into the underbelly of the city.

zaun welcomed you like a bruise—aching, ugly, beautiful. and you would’ve walked through fire to get to the woman waiting for you in the dark.

sevika leaned against the brick wall outside the last drop, lit only by the low flame of her cigar and the glint of her metal arm. she didn’t smile when she saw you—she rarely did. but her eyes softened, just enough, and that was all it took to make the rest of the world fall away.

“you’re late,” sevika said, voice low and rough, a smirk ghosting her lips.

“and yet here you are,” you replied, stepping close enough to feel the heat of her.

you didn’t touch. not yet. that would come later, in the safety of shadows and locked doors. but the tension was always there, crackling like kindling, waiting for a single spark.

sevika’s eyes flickered over you, the sharpness of her gaze cutting through the night like a blade. her usual confidence was there, but something softer lingered behind it, a warmth that only you could bring to the surface. you hadn’t told her why you came to zaun, why you couldn’t stay within the cage of piltover’s upper crust. but she knew. the way you moved, the way you sighed, the way you looked at her—it was all too clear.

“i still don’t understand why you do this,” sevika muttered, her voice quieter now, a note of frustration threading through her words. “you could have anyone, you know. your family... they’d arrange a marriage for you, something that would... give you the world.”

you felt the words she didn't say, the weight of her worry, the heaviness of the unspoken question between you two: why me?

“i don’t want anyone,” you replied, voice barely above a whisper. “i want this. i want you.”

sevika’s jaw tightened at the words, her lips curling into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. it wasn’t a playful smile, not like the ones she gave to the patrons of the last drop. no, this was something different—something raw. and it made your heart beat a little faster.

“you can’t stay here forever,” she warned, voice a low rasp that stirred something deep inside you. “it’s not safe for you, not for someone like you. the more you come here, the more you’ll—”

“—fall in love?” you finished for her, your voice barely audible.

her gaze softened, and she looked away for a moment, taking another drag from her cigar. “it’s not just about love, you know. you’re from piltover. you’re not supposed to be with someone like me. it’s... dangerous.”

you took a step closer to her, the distance between you shrinking with every heartbeat. “i don’t care about any of that. i care about you.”

sevika exhaled sharply, her metal arm flexing at her side. she was fighting something—something inside her, something she wasn’t ready to confront. but you weren’t going to let her pull away, not this time. you reached up, touching her jaw with trembling fingers, and for the briefest moment, she didn’t pull away. instead, she let her eyes meet yours, her expression hardening with the weight of the decision you both knew you had to make.

“you can’t keep coming here, you know that, right?” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

but you didn’t answer. instead, you pressed your lips against her forehead, a soft, gentle gesture that held more meaning than any words ever could.

for a moment, the world faded. there was no piltover, no impending marriage. there was only her and you. and maybe, just maybe, that was enough.

—

as time passed, the city around you grew heavier, the expectations from your family suffocating, but every night, you found yourself slipping back into the comforting embrace of the shadows. and every night, sevika was there, her presence like an anchor in the storm.

each encounter deepened the bond between you, though it was always laced with danger. the deeper you fell for her, the more impossible it felt to untangle yourself from the web of piltover’s high society that sought to trap you. your father’s constant reminders of the marriage he had arranged, the whispers of how you were meant to be the perfect daughter, the perfect wife—it all felt like a prison. but sevika never made you feel trapped. she never asked you to be anything other than yourself.

there was a quiet rebellion in your heart, one you never voiced aloud. you would not bow to piltover’s rules. not when the heart you had given to sevika beat louder than any expectation.

one evening, as the rain fell in sheets outside the last drop, the world seemed more alive than ever. you sat with sevika, the two of you hidden away in one of the back rooms, your fingers tracing the edges of a painting you had been working on for weeks. it wasn’t just the rain that made the air heavy—it was the quiet, unspoken words that hung between you, waiting to be said.

“you’ve been working on that for a while,” sevika noted, her voice gruff as she leaned against the doorframe, watching you with a predatory glint in her eyes.

“i’m trying to capture the way it feels,” you said softly, not looking up from your canvas.

she stepped closer, her boots quiet against the wood floor. “the way what feels?”

“the way i feel when i’m here with you,” you whispered.

sevika’s gaze softened, and for the first time in a long while, the hardness in her eyes gave way to something tender. “you have no idea what you’re doing to me, do you?”

you met her gaze then, letting the words settle between you like a storm ready to break. “i know exactly what i’m doing. i’m loving you.”

she didn’t pull away. instead, sevika closed the distance between you, her hands finding your face with the precision of someone who had built walls for years—walls that you were slowly breaking down. when her lips finally met yours, it wasn’t a kiss of desperation, but of acknowledgment. a promise that no matter the world that tried to tear you apart, you would always have each other in these quiet moments, in these stolen hours.

the nights in zaun were the only times you could truly breathe, the only time you could be yourself, and sevika was the only one who ever saw you for who you really were. the love you shared was forbidden, yes. but it was yours, and that was enough. for now.

every day, you feared that the walls would close in, that piltover’s gaze would finally catch up to you. but in the arms of the woman who had become your everything, you didn’t feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. not yet.

—

the tension between you and sevika had become a constant—something that hummed in the air every time you met in the shadows of zaun. the brief moments you shared weren’t enough, but they were all you had. and the longer it went on, the more you realized you couldn’t live without her.

one night, as you stepped into the last drop, a familiar ache bloomed in your chest. sevika was nowhere to be seen. the usual patrons lingered at their tables, laughing and drinking, but the warmth you normally felt in her presence was absent. you felt a twinge of unease and made your way toward the back, where she often retreated when things became too loud for her taste.

as you rounded the corner, your eyes met hers. she stood near the shadows, arms crossed, her metal hand resting on her hip. she wasn’t smoking tonight, and her posture was unusually tense. something was wrong.

“you okay?” you asked softly, stepping toward her. your voice was quiet, but the concern in your heart was loud enough to drown out the noise of the bar.

sevika’s gaze flickered to you, and for a moment, she didn’t say anything. she looked away, her jaw clenched tightly. “you should go back home,” she muttered, the words rough, almost like she was trying to push you away.

your chest tightened. “what do you mean? sevika, what’s going on?”

she let out a sharp breath and ran a hand through her hair, her eyes avoiding yours. “it’s dangerous, you know? this... us. you’re playing with fire, and you don’t even realize how hot it’s burning.”

you stepped closer, the distance between you two closing like the gap between two worlds—zaun and piltover, the gutter and the sky. “i’m not scared of fire,” you whispered. “i’m scared of losing you.”

sevika’s eyes hardened, her gaze flicking to the door, as if she expected someone to burst in at any moment. “you don’t get it. you don’t know what this place can do to people. to you.”

“i know it’s dangerous,” you said quietly, your voice laced with something that wasn’t just love—it was a plea. “but i don’t care. i’d rather have a few moments with you than a lifetime without.”

her gaze softened, the sharpness in her eyes dulling just enough for you to see the vulnerability beneath the hardened exterior. sevika was not someone who let people in. she had built walls that could withstand the harshest of storms, yet you had managed to crack them, piece by piece. but even then, you felt the weight of her fears, her reluctance to let you get too close.

“i’m not the kind of woman you think i am,” sevika muttered, her voice quieter than usual, almost as if she was confessing something. “i’m not the type who deserves someone like you.”

“don’t say that,” you urged, taking another step forward. “you’re the one who’s been here for me. you’re the one who makes me feel alive in this suffocating world. you’re the only one who sees me, sevika. the real me.”

she took a long, steadying breath, but her eyes never left you. “you don’t get to say that,” she said softly. “not when you don’t know what it means to live in a place like this.”

“i do,” you said, voice firm, but your heart was thumping in your chest. “i do know. maybe not like you, but i see it. i see you. and that’s all that matters.”

for the first time, sevika’s lips twitched, as though the smallest of smiles threatened to break through. but it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by the usual hardness that defined her.

“go back to your world,” she whispered, her voice almost fragile. “it’s safer for you there.”

but you shook your head, stepping even closer. “i don’t want to be in that world without you. this—what we have, even if it’s stolen moments—I don’t want to lose it. and i won’t lose you.”

the silence between you thickened, both of you lost in the weight of the truth hanging in the air. finally, sevika looked at you, really looked at you, and for the briefest moment, you saw it—the raw, unguarded emotion behind her eyes.

“you’re crazy,” she muttered, but there was no heat in her voice. only the slightest trace of something close to affection. “but i can’t let you go either.”

before you could respond, she closed the distance between you two, her strong arms pulling you close. the kiss that followed was slow, deliberate, as if sevika was savoring every second, and you were lost in the sensation. her lips were soft yet firm, like a promise and a warning all at once. when she pulled back, her eyes searched yours, and you knew you had both crossed a line that could never be uncrossed.

“you’re mine,” sevika whispered against your lips, her voice thick with a mixture of possession and tenderness.

and in that moment, you knew that no matter what the world threw at you, this forbidden love would always be worth the risk.

—

the weeks that followed were filled with stolen nights and quiet moments in the depths of zaun. each time you met sevika, you could feel the weight of her fear, her hesitation, but you also felt the pull between you growing stronger. the relationship, though wrapped in secrecy, was becoming something more than either of you had expected.

you had no illusions about the danger, about the consequences of being together in such a volatile world. but you couldn’t stop. and neither could she.

the darkness of zaun was both a shield and a curse, but as long as you had sevika by your side, you felt like you could face anything.

the mansion was a cage, a place where beauty was expected to thrive, but all you could feel was suffocation. your father’s voice echoed through the halls, always with the same rigid tone, as though he were reminding you of something you should have already known: you were a woman meant to marry, to strengthen your family’s influence, to uphold the legacy of your bloodline.

the walls of the estate held whispers of your name—the daughter, the prize, the one who would carry the family’s wealth and name forward. your mother had always been distant, an elegant figure draped in silk, more a symbol of your family's affluence than a mother in any real sense. she would glance at you with her cold, calculating eyes, as if expecting you to follow in her footsteps, to become a perfect piece in their grand design.

and you? you had never fit.

the moment you could pick up a paintbrush, you felt the world shift. the colors, the strokes, the texture—they were the only things that ever made sense to you. the life of a high-class piltover woman, with its endless social events, its political marriages, and its suffocating rules, was never something you wanted. you wanted to breathe, to express yourself, to be free. but that was a luxury you could never afford.

every time you picked up your paintbrush, you felt the heavy gaze of your family’s expectations looming over you, reminding you of your place. it wasn’t that they were cruel—it was that they were blind. blind to the fact that you were not their perfect daughter. you had been made to fit into their mold, but you were slowly cracking.

and then, the marriage arrangement.

it had been decided years ago, when you were little more than a child, that you would marry jaron haighton, the heir to a powerful trading family in piltover. he was charming, yes, and from the outside, he was everything your parents wanted—wealthy, well-connected, with a bright future ahead of him. but jaron was everything you despised about men: arrogant, entitled, and completely unaware of the world beyond his own privileges.

at first, you tried to ignore the marriage proposal. perhaps if you avoided it long enough, it would fade. but your father’s voice grew more insistent as the years passed, reminding you that this marriage would secure your family’s future, bring you untold wealth, and solidify their position in piltover’s elite circles.

it wasn’t about love. it was never about love.

your mother had prepared you for this life, teaching you how to be the perfect lady, how to smile at the right times, how to act demure, how to speak only when spoken to. she would often say, “a woman’s worth is not in her opinions, but in her ability to make her husband proud.” her words echoed in your head every time you tried to fight against your fate. but it was always a battle you knew you would lose.

you were expected to marry jaron. you were expected to be a perfect wife, a perfect daughter, and a perfect piece in a game you didn’t want to play.

but the nights you spent with sevika… those were the only moments you felt truly alive.

—

your engagement party was a grand affair, as all piltover events were—opulent and filled with the glitter of wealth. the house was buzzing with laughter, conversation, and the clinking of glasses. the guests milled about, their voices rising and falling in a cacophony of politeness, but to you, it was all a blur. you stood in the center of it all, a delicate porcelain doll on display for the masses. every part of you screamed to be anywhere but here.

jaron was by your side, his hand possessively placed on the small of your back, his breath warm on your ear as he whispered sweet nothings into your hair. he had no idea how hollow his words were. he had no idea how every touch felt like a chain, and every compliment was a reminder that you were never going to be the woman you wanted to be.

“beautiful, isn’t it?” jaron murmured, his fingers trailing lightly over the fabric of your dress.

you smiled, but it didn’t reach your eyes. “yes, lovely.”

“i’m glad you’re pleased.” he grinned, his hand slipping lower, a possessive gesture that made your skin crawl. “soon, this will all be ours, darling. you’ll see. together, we’ll have everything.”

you wanted to say something—anything—to make him stop, to make him see you, but instead, you stood there, numb, a smile plastered to your face. the world around you was spinning, each conversation a blur of meaningless chatter, each laugh a hollow echo in your ears.

and then, just as you thought you might suffocate under the weight of it all, you caught a glimpse of the one person who could make your heart race, the one person who could make you forget this nightmare.

sevika.

she stood at the edge of the crowd, her gaze locked on you, her presence like a magnet pulling at the very center of your soul. you knew she shouldn’t be here. you knew the risks she was taking just by being within the walls of piltover, but she was there. and in that moment, she was the only thing that mattered.

your eyes met, and for a fleeting second, everything around you faded. it was just you and sevika—your heart beating out of your chest, your blood rushing in your ears. the weight of the world couldn’t touch you when she was near.

but then, jaron’s hand tightened on your waist, pulling you back to reality. you turned your head to look at him, your smile faltering. “excuse me,” you whispered, your voice barely audible over the noise. “i need a moment.”

without waiting for his response, you pulled away, your feet moving on their own accord toward the exit. you had to get away. you had to breathe. you had to see sevika, even if just for a few seconds.

—

the cool night air hit your face as you stepped outside, the garden’s quiet beauty offering you a brief respite from the chaos. the soft rustle of leaves and the distant sounds of laughter inside the mansion felt like a world away as you walked further into the garden.

and then, there she was.

sevika was waiting for you, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes scanning the horizon before settling on you. she didn’t say anything at first. she didn’t need to. her presence alone was enough to make your heart beat faster.

“i knew you’d find a way to escape,” sevika said with a wry smile. her eyes softened as she took in your expression.

“i couldn’t stay in there,” you murmured, stepping closer, your voice trembling. “i don’t want this, sevika. i don’t want any of it.”

her gaze darkened, and she reached out, her hand brushing against your cheek, her touch as comforting as it was dangerous. “you know i can’t be your escape forever.”

you closed your eyes, leaning into her touch. “i know.”

for a moment, there was nothing but the sound of your breaths, the silent promise of a love you couldn’t have. you knew that this—what you had with sevika—could never exist in the world you were bound to. it was forbidden, dangerous, a rebellion against everything you had been taught.

but as sevika’s lips brushed against your forehead, you knew you would fight for this—for her—no matter the consequences. you didn’t know how, and you didn’t know when, but you would find a way to escape the life your family had chosen for you. you would find a way to make this love your own.

the garden’s stillness felt like a sanctuary, but it was also a reminder of everything you were about to lose. you had stepped out of the gilded cage, the suffocating life that awaited you inside, and into this forbidden space with sevika. in her presence, you felt weightless, like you could breathe for the first time in years. but there was no way to escape the life you were born into. no way to escape the arranged marriage, no way to escape the chains that your family had placed around you long before you were old enough to understand.

sevika was standing so close now, you could feel the heat radiating from her, and her touch on your cheek made your heart race. her eyes held that same intensity—the same mixture of concern and frustration that had haunted her every time you met.

“you can’t keep running away, you know,” sevika’s voice was rough, like she had just spoken a truth she didn’t want to acknowledge. “you have a duty to them. your family... they won’t let you go so easily.”

you shook your head, the words catching in your throat. “i don’t care about their duty,” you whispered fiercely, looking up into her eyes. “i care about what’s real. about what’s in my heart.”

her gaze softened, but it was clear she was torn. “you can’t keep pretending, sweetheart. you can’t keep living in two worlds.”

you swallowed hard, your chest tight with the weight of her words. “what do you want me to do?” the question was a challenge, more for yourself than for her. “what am i supposed to do, sevika? stay in that house, marry him, be the perfect little wife while my heart belongs somewhere else?”

her silence was all the answer you needed. the weight of reality was too much for both of you to bear in that moment. sevika, the tough, unbreakable force of nature, had no answers to give you, no promises to make. she, too, was trapped in this chaotic, unforgiving world.

“i can’t lose you,” you said, your voice trembling, though you weren’t sure if it was from the cold or the raw emotion clawing at you from within. “i don’t care about anything else. i just want to be with you. but i don’t know how to make that happen.”

sevika’s expression was unreadable, but you saw the flash of vulnerability in her eyes that she tried to hide. she exhaled, her grip tightening on your shoulder, a silent admission of how badly she, too, was hurting. “i don’t know how to fix this either,” she said quietly. “but i can’t stand to watch you destroy yourself. i can’t stand to watch you drown in this... life they’ve planned for you.”

you stepped closer to her, your forehead pressing against hers. you could hear her heartbeat thumping against her chest, matching the rhythm of your own. “then help me. help me find a way out.”

sevika closed her eyes for a moment, the tension between you two palpable. it was in the way her muscles tensed, in the way her hands shook slightly. “i’m not the answer, sweetheart,” she murmured, her voice thick with regret. “you know that.”

you pulled away just slightly, enough to look into her eyes. “what if you were?” the words came out before you could stop them, but they felt true. you didn’t know how, and you didn’t know when, but you needed her.

the sharpness in sevika’s gaze flickered. “i’m not the life you’re meant to lead. you belong in piltover, with your family, with your wealth... and your future.”

“not without you,” you whispered, your heart breaking at the thought. “not without you, sevika.”

the silence that followed felt suffocating. neither of you spoke. there was nothing to say that hadn’t already been said in the quiet space between your hearts. the world was too loud. it had always been too loud, and now, in the garden, it was deafening. but sevika was right. you had two choices: one was the life that was chosen for you, the life of status, of duty, of a loveless marriage with a man you despised. the other, the path you wanted, the path that called to you, was with sevika. but it was dangerous. and it was forbidden.

the pain in your chest grew, the realization that you couldn’t choose both. you couldn’t stay in piltover and still keep sevika in your life. not openly. not when the weight of the world would crush you both.

you stepped back, swallowing hard, your head spinning. “i don’t know what to do anymore,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “i don’t know how to choose between what i want and what i’m supposed to be.”

sevika reached out, her hand gently brushing against yours. “you don’t have to make that choice tonight,” she said, her voice soft but steady. “but you need to think. you need to decide what’s worth fighting for.”

her words echoed in your mind, the meaning behind them cutting deeper than any blade. what is worth fighting for?

—

the next few days were filled with turmoil, and the weight of your decision began to crush you. you were suffocated by your family’s expectations, by the heavy chains of duty that they had bound you with since birth. and yet, every night, when the world was silent and the moon hung low in the sky, you found yourself slipping away—slipping into the shadows of zaun where sevika waited for you.

each stolen moment with her felt like both a blessing and a curse. with her, you were free. you were more than the daughter of a rich piltover family. you were someone worth loving. but when you returned to your reality—when you put on the mask of the perfect lady—it felt like a betrayal.

your parents had become more insistent about the wedding. you could feel it in the way your father’s voice had hardened, the way your mother had increased her pressure. they had even begun discussing the details of the ceremony with jaron’s family. you were already slipping away, and yet they were pulling you back toward the life they had chosen for you.

one evening, as you sat in the lavish dining room, your mother’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

“you need to make this decision, dear,” she said, her words measured but laced with thinly veiled command. “jaron is a good match. he’s well-connected, wealthy. this marriage will ensure our family’s future. you don’t want to disappoint us, do you?”

you stared at the delicate, golden plates in front of you, feeling the weight of her gaze on you. the room, with all its opulence, felt like a tomb. every word they spoke about your future felt like a lie. the marriage wasn’t about love. it wasn’t about happiness. it was a transaction.

you clenched your fists under the table, biting your lip to hold back the wave of emotion that threatened to break free.

“i’m not disappointed, mother,” you said, your voice strained but firm. “i just... i need some time to think.”

your mother gave you a tight smile, but you could see the frustration flicker behind her eyes. “time is a luxury we don’t have, my dear. the sooner you accept what’s best for you, the sooner we can begin the next chapter.”

you stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the polished floor. “i’ll be in my room,” you said, the words coming out more sharply than you intended.

and just like that, you were gone, leaving the harsh reality of your family’s expectations behind. but as you walked toward your room, the weight of the world seemed to come crashing down. you couldn’t stay here. you couldn’t let them control your fate, but you also couldn’t abandon your family completely. could you really leave everything behind? could you really throw away your place in piltover, your family’s legacy, to follow your heart?

the answer was waiting for you in the darkness of the garden, where sevika would be waiting.

—

the night-time air in your room felt thick with tension, the weight of the decisions looming over you like a storm. you paced back and forth, the soft flicker of candlelight casting shadows on the walls, each step a reminder of how trapped you were in your own life. your mind refused to be still, the thoughts swirling, crashing into one another, a tidal wave of fear, longing, and uncertainty.

you could hear your mother’s voice again, echoing in your ears: “this marriage is the best thing for you. it’s what’s expected. what’s right.” and your father’s stern, unwavering words: “you will do your duty, and you will uphold the family’s name.”

every inch of your upbringing, every lesson you had been taught since you were a child, told you that this was your path. your future had already been written for you—the union with jaron, the life in the upper levels of piltover, the endless obligations that would soon consume you.

but with every step you took toward that future, your heart pulled you further from it.

sevika’s face flashed before your eyes, her dark gaze intense, her presence a storm that matched the one inside your chest. she had always been a mystery to you, a sharp contrast to everything you had known. she was raw, unapologetically herself, and in her, you had found something real—something that made the rest of your world seem hollow.

you thought of the first night you had snuck away to zaun, your pulse quickening as you approached the forbidden district. your heart had thundered in your chest, the risk so high, the stakes so dangerous, but when you saw sevika, standing in the shadows with that quiet strength, it was as if nothing else mattered. in those stolen moments, you were not the daughter of a high-class piltover family. you weren’t a pawn in your parents’ game. you were just you.

and in those moments, sevika didn’t ask you to be anything but yourself.

but tonight was different. tonight, you felt the weight of your future closing in, the harsh reality of what would happen if you walked away. the walls of your family’s expectations pressed in tighter, and the thought of leaving it all behind—your name, your wealth, your place in piltover’s society—made your stomach turn. you had been raised to be this person, to live this life. how could you abandon it all for a forbidden love? how could you risk your family’s legacy for something so fleeting, so dangerous?

you sank to your knees, your breath catching in your throat. the weight of the choice, the agony of it, was suffocating. how could you betray your family like that? how could you dishonor everything they had worked so hard for?

but then, just as quickly, you thought of sevika’s face again—the warmth of her touch, the quiet solace in her presence. she was the only one who truly saw you, the only one who ever understood. every moment with her felt like a rebellion, a step away from the life that had been imposed on you. and every moment without her felt like a piece of you was dying.

but would that be enough? would love—your love for sevika—be enough to risk everything?

the uncertainty gnawed at you. the pull of your family’s expectations, the weight of your father’s disappointment, the looming shadow of the life you were meant to lead—it was all so heavy. you knew the consequences of walking away, of rejecting the life they had mapped out for you. they would never forgive you. they would never understand. your name, your legacy, would be tarnished. you would be disowned, cast aside.

but sevika… she never asked for your name. she didn’t care about your family’s wealth or your position in piltover. she only cared about you. and in her, you saw a future that was free. free from expectations. free from a life of stifling perfection.

but was it enough? could you throw away everything you had ever known for something as fragile as love?

a soft knock at your door pulled you out of your thoughts, and before you could respond, the door creaked open. your heart skipped a beat when you saw her standing there—sevika.

her gaze softened when she saw your tear-streaked face. she didn’t speak at first. she didn’t need to. she just walked in, closing the door behind her with a quiet click, and knelt down beside you.

“you’re not alone in this,” she said, her voice a quiet strength, like a steady pulse that anchored you. “you never were.”

you shook your head, tears still slipping down your cheeks. “i don’t know what to do anymore. i don’t know how to make a choice between you and everything i’ve been taught to want.”

sevika’s thumb gently brushed across your cheek, wiping away the tears. “you don’t have to make a decision tonight. and i don’t want you to. you need to take your time. this is your life, your future. no one else’s.”

“but what if i make the wrong choice?” you whispered, your voice breaking. “what if i’m throwing everything away?”

she leaned closer, her forehead resting against yours. “you have to choose what’s best for you, love. not for anyone else. not for them, not for me. what’s going to make you happy? what’s going to give you peace?”

your mind spun, unable to answer. peace? how could you find peace when everything around you was a storm? you had spent your whole life trying to please your family, trying to fit into a mold that was never meant for you. but now, standing with sevika in the quiet of your room, you realized how much you longed for something real. something that wasn’t decided by the cold hands of duty.

“i don’t know how to walk away,” you whispered, the weight of the decision making it hard to breathe. “i don’t know how to leave them behind.”

sevika’s grip on your hand tightened, her voice low and soothing. “i know it’s hard. but nothing worth having is ever easy. you’ve got a fire in you, and you can’t let them snuff it out. you’re not just some prize to be won, and you’re not meant to live a life of silence and conformity. you’re meant for more than that.”

her words, strong and certain, made something inside you stir—a spark of hope, a flicker of strength. for the first time in days, you didn’t feel entirely lost. sevika’s presence steadied you, gave you something to hold onto in the midst of the chaos that was your life.

“i’ll be with you,” sevika continued, her voice firm. “whatever you choose, i’ll be right here.”

for a moment, all the confusion, all the doubt, melted away. you weren’t sure what you would do, or what the future held, but for the first time in what felt like forever, you knew one thing: you didn’t have to make this choice alone. and maybe, just maybe, that was enough to start figuring it all out.

—

days passed, each one heavier than the last. the internal conflict gnawed at you like a relentless tide, pulling you in different directions. the moment with sevika in your room had offered you a temporary reprieve, but it hadn’t provided an answer. you thought of her words often: “you’re not just some prize to be won. you’re meant for more than that.” you wanted to believe them, wanted to believe that there was a life out there that wasn’t controlled by your family’s plans. but the weight of everything you had built, everything they had built for you, was a constant pressure at your back. it was so much harder to break free than you had anticipated.

your days became a blur of obligations, meetings with jaron, and conversations with your parents. it all felt like a performance, a carefully orchestrated act you were being forced to play. your mother had already begun making arrangements for the wedding, discussing the finer details with jaron’s family, as if there was no room for doubt in the air. they had made their decision, and it seemed they expected you to fall in line. but the further they pushed you into their world, the more you longed for something else.

it was on a particularly gray morning, the sky heavy with impending rain, that you felt the shift. your father had called you into his study, his tone businesslike, distant. he had already spoken to jaron’s family about the engagement, and now the discussions were turning to the wedding itself. as you stood there, listening to your father’s words, a sense of numbness washed over you. you felt like an outsider in your own life, like a ghost passing through the motions. you tried to focus, but all you could think of was sevika—her steady gaze, the warmth of her touch, the way she made you feel like you were more than just a daughter, more than just an heir.

“we expect you to make a proper appearance at the upcoming social gathering,” your father said, his voice flat. “jaron’s family will be there. it’s time to solidify the arrangements.”

the mention of jaron’s name sent a chill down your spine. you had been trying to ignore it, trying to push it aside, but the reality of your impending marriage had come crashing back. you weren’t ready. you would never be ready. you didn’t love him. you couldn’t love him.

“i understand,” you said quietly, your voice barely above a whisper. you were too tired to argue, too defeated to fight back. you felt like a puppet on strings, your movements dictated by forces beyond your control.

your father nodded, seemingly satisfied with your response. “good. i expect you to uphold your responsibilities.”

when he turned back to his papers, signaling the end of the conversation, you felt the weight of the walls closing in around you. you didn’t have the strength to fight him, not today. you simply nodded, forcing a smile before leaving the room. the door clicked shut behind you, and you exhaled as if you had been holding your breath the entire time. the suffocating air of your family’s expectations clung to you, and you could feel yourself unraveling at the seams.

you needed to see her. you needed to escape, even if only for a few stolen hours.

that night, after your parents had retired to their rooms, you slipped out. your heart pounded in your chest as you made your way through the streets of piltover, each step feeling heavier than the last. your thoughts were a swirl of confusion and anger. how had it come to this? how had your life become a prison of obligation and duty? how had you let it get so far?

when you finally crossed into zaun, the sharp scent of the district hit you. it was familiar, comforting in a way that piltover’s pristine air never could be. the chaos of zaun was a stark contrast to the polished streets you’d grown up on, and yet, it was here that you felt most alive. here, with sevika, you felt seen. you felt real.

sevika was waiting for you, just like she always was. her eyes were dark, but there was a flicker of something softer in them when she saw you. “you’re late,” sevika said, her voice a mix of teasing and concern. “everything okay?”

you walked into her arms without a second thought, your body gravitating toward her warmth. “i’m fine,” you lied, burying your face in her shoulder, the scent of her—leather, sweat, and something more earthy—filling your senses. “i just needed to get away.”

her arms tightened around you, and for a moment, everything else faded away. you were just you, and she was just sevika. nothing else mattered.

“come here,” she murmured, leading you to a small, dimly lit corner of the district where you could be alone. the streets of zaun were always bustling with life, but in this corner, it was quieter, more private. sevika’s hand gently cupped your face, lifting your gaze to meet hers.

“you’ve been quiet lately,” she observed, her eyes scanning your face for any signs of distress. “what’s going on, love?”

you sighed, your heart heavy with the truth you were trying to bury. “i don’t know if i can do this anymore, sevika. i don’t know if i can keep pretending. i don’t know if i can marry him. i don’t want to be who they want me to be. but how do i break free? how do i leave everything behind? my family, my future, everything i’ve known.”

sevika’s expression softened, but there was an undeniable fire in her eyes. she reached out and gently cupped your chin, forcing you to meet her gaze. “you don’t have to make that choice alone, remember?” she said softly. “you’re not the only one who’s scared. but i will be here, no matter what you decide. and you’re not alone in this.”

you closed your eyes, the warmth of her hand grounding you, offering you a sense of peace amidst the chaos. but as much as you longed for that peace, you knew the truth—there would never be an easy way out. your life had been laid out for you, and escaping it would come with consequences. but maybe, just maybe, those consequences were worth facing for the chance to truly live.

“i don’t know how to do this,” you whispered, your voice barely audible.

sevika leaned forward, pressing her forehead to yours. “we’ll figure it out together.”

—

the quiet hum of the streets of zaun felt like a distant lullaby as you and sevika walked side by side, the sound of your footsteps the only thing that bridged the gap between the chaos of your life and the fleeting moment of peace that you shared with her. the weight of your emotions, heavy and raw, pressed against your chest, suffocating you in a way that you couldn’t explain. the once-crisp air of piltover now felt oppressive, suffocating you from within, while the air of zaun, though thick with the scent of the industrial underworld, somehow felt like it could breathe life back into your lungs.

“do you ever wonder how it all ends?” you asked, your voice barely above a whisper. the question felt odd coming from your lips, as if you were questioning the very foundation of your existence. but in the silence that stretched between you, it didn’t seem out of place.

sevika’s pace faltered for a moment, her gaze flicking to you before returning to the dark alley ahead. there was a quiet sadness in her eyes, a depth of knowing that spoke of a life lived in the shadows, far from the polished world you had once inhabited.

“every day,” she said simply, her voice low, but tinged with something that almost sounded like a smile. “but I’m still here. and I’m still fighting. even when it feels like everything’s against you.”

you paused in your tracks, turning to face her fully. the weight of your gaze, of your shared history, pressed in on both of you. sevika had fought for everything she had, from the streets of zaun to the dangerous circles she now ran in. she wasn’t afraid to take risks, to dive into the chaos of her world. she lived each day with a defiance that spoke to the core of who she was, a defiance that you envied in so many ways.

“i’m scared,” you admitted, the words slipping out before you could stop them. your heart felt like it was being squeezed in your chest, but the relief of saying it aloud was undeniable. “i’m scared of losing everything. of losing my family, my name, the future they’ve built for me. and i’m scared of losing you.”

sevika stopped walking, her brow furrowing slightly as she reached out to take your hand in hers. there was a strength in her grip, a grounding force that steadied you as you tried to find your breath.

“you’re not going to lose me,” sevika said firmly, her voice steady. “you may lose them, you may lose their expectations, but you won’t lose me. you don’t have to choose between them and me. i’m not asking you to. i’m asking you to choose what makes you happy.”

her words, though simple, pierced through the fog in your mind like a beacon of clarity. you had always thought that you had to choose between duty and desire, between family and love. but sevika was offering you a different path, one where you didn’t have to abandon everything to have what you wanted.

but the decision felt like an impossible one. as much as you wanted to believe that your family would understand, you knew deep down that they wouldn’t. they never had. they never would.

“i can’t just walk away from everything,” you whispered, your voice cracking under the weight of it all. “i don’t know who i would be without them. without the life they’ve built for me.”

sevika’s expression softened, and she stepped closer, closing the distance between you. her fingers gently traced your jawline, and for a moment, you forgot the rest of the world entirely. there was just her, just the two of you in this moment, and in that moment, the weight of the world seemed a little lighter.

“you’re not just a reflection of them,” she said softly, her thumb brushing across your skin. “you’re your own person, sweetheart.”

—

days blurred into each other like muted strokes on a canvas, each one heavier than the last. you couldn’t escape the truth that clung to you like a shadow, growing ever closer with each passing moment. the life your parents had planned for you was becoming more suffocating, more oppressive. the whispers of the arranged marriage to jaron were growing louder, and the weight of your family’s expectations was impossible to ignore. you could feel them pressing against you, like walls closing in, pushing you toward a future you didn’t want.

the nights spent in zaun with sevika were the only relief. in her presence, everything else fell away, and for a few stolen hours, you felt like yourself again. you felt alive, free, even as you knew you couldn’t stay there forever. there was always the pull of your other life, the life that was waiting for you back in piltover, where everything was neatly arranged, predictable, and suffocating. your time in zaun, with sevika, was fleeting—an escape that you knew was unsustainable.

but as the days went on, you found it harder and harder to reconcile the two sides of yourself. every time you looked in the mirror, you saw a stranger. the face of a woman who was being forced to wear a mask, to perform a role she hadn’t chosen. you hated it. and yet, you couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that to give up everything would mean losing a part of yourself you weren’t ready to let go of. you didn’t know how to balance the world you had grown up in with the world sevika offered you.

it was in the middle of one of these internal battles that you found yourself in the drawing room at your family’s estate. your mother was sitting at the grand table, meticulously going through invitations for the upcoming engagement party. your father was at his desk, reviewing contracts and business agreements. their world was so carefully constructed, so neatly ordered. and in the middle of it, you felt like an intruder.

“have you heard back from jaron’s family about the wedding details?” your mother asked, her voice light, as if the event was nothing more than a formality.

you forced a smile, nodding absently. “yes. everything is moving forward as planned.”

“good,” she said, as if that was the only answer that mattered. “i’m glad to see you taking this seriously. you’ll make a wonderful wife.”

the words stung, more than they should have. “of course,” you replied, your voice sounding hollow even to your own ears.

your father, who had been silent up until this point, cleared his throat and adjusted the papers on his desk. “it’s time you start thinking about the future, a marriage like this isn’t just about love. it’s about alliances. it’s about strengthening the family name. you need to focus on that.”

you nodded again, but this time, it felt like a lie. the thought of being tied to jaron, of being bound by duty rather than desire, made your chest ache. you had spent so many years trying to please them, trying to fit into their world. but now, it felt like that world was a prison, and the bars were getting stronger with each passing day.

as you excused yourself from the conversation, you felt a tightness in your throat, a mix of anger and sadness. you didn’t want to be who they wanted you to be. you didn’t want to follow this path that was set out for you. but what other choice did you have?

the days leading up to the engagement party were a blur of preparation and expectation. you found yourself surrounded by servants, tailors, and decorators, all working to make sure everything was perfect. but the perfect facade only served to make the emptiness inside you feel more pronounced. as the party loomed closer, so did the decision you were running from.

it was the night before the party that you found yourself standing at the edge of the balcony overlooking piltover, the lights of the city twinkling below you like distant stars. you had never felt more disconnected from everything in your life. the sounds of laughter, the music drifting from below, seemed so distant, so unimportant.

you needed to see sevika. you needed her strength, her presence. the thought of facing the engagement party without her felt like suffocating. you needed her to remind you of who you were, to ground you in something real, something that wasn’t bound by expectations.

in the dead of night, you slipped out again. you moved quickly, your heart pounding as you walked the familiar streets of piltover, the weight of your decisions pressing on you with each step. the walk felt longer tonight, as if the world had stretched and distorted, and you were walking in a dream.

when you finally reached zaun, sevika was there waiting for you. she always was, always ready to hold you when you couldn’t hold yourself. the moment you stepped into her arms, you felt the tight knot in your chest begin to loosen.

“you’re late again tonight,” sevika said, her voice low but with an unmistakable warmth. she placed a gentle kiss on the top of your head, her hand resting protectively at your back.

“i needed to see you,” you said softly, your voice shaky as you pulled back to look up at her, eyes glistening with unshed tears

sevika’s expression softened, and she led you further into the heart of zaun, where the sounds of the city felt more distant, more muted. the further you went, the quieter everything seemed, until it was just the two of you, standing in a small, secluded corner of the district where only the flickering streetlights and the hum of the city could be heard.

“what’s going on in that head of yours?” sevika asked, her voice gentle but insistent.

“i’m scared,” you admitted again, your voice breaking this time. “i’m scared of everything. of losing them, of losing you, of losing myself. i feel like i’m drowning, sevika. i don’t know what’s real anymore.”

sevika took both of your hands in hers, steadying you as you trembled under the weight of your words. her touch was grounding, a reminder that in this moment, you were safe.

“you’re real,” she said, her gaze unwavering. “and no matter what happens, you’re never going to lose me. i’ll never let you go, not without a fight. but you have to make that decision for yourself, love. you have to decide who you want to be. because you can’t keep running from this. you have to face it.”

the truth of her words cut through you, like the sharp edge of a knife. the choice was yours, and it had always been.

you stood there, in the quiet of the night, the weight of your emotions pulling at you. sevika was right—this wasn’t just about them. it was about you. and you had to find the strength to choose the life you wanted, even if it meant sacrificing everything else.

for the first time in what felt like an eternity, you made the choice. it wasn’t a clear-cut decision, and it wasn’t easy. but you knew, deep down, that you couldn’t stay in that gilded cage forever. you couldn’t live a life dictated by others.

you squeezed sevika’s hands, the tears in your eyes blurring your vision. “i’ll leave them. i’ll leave everything behind. i want to be with you.”

but would you be brave enough to follow through?

sevika’s smile was soft, relieved, but there was something else there too—a deep, fierce pride. she pulled you close, holding you tightly, as if she could protect you from everything that was to come.

“i’ll be here, love. always.”

—

the day had arrived. the grand halls of your family’s estate were adorned in golden banners and white lace, the atmosphere crisp with the promise of an immaculate engagement. the sounds of the orchestra’s delicate strings floated through the air, mingling with the laughter and chatter of piltover’s finest. guests in their finest attire swirled about in a world of polished elegance, their glances and smiles insincere, as if everything here were merely a game of appearances. the smell of roses mixed with expensive perfumes, and beneath it all, you could taste the sharp, metallic bitterness of what awaited you.

this was not the life you had chosen.

you stood at the center of it all, a crown of lace perched delicately atop your head, a weight you could feel pressing against you with every breath. your heart, which had been light and free in sevika’s presence, now felt like it was buried under a thousand pounds. the dress, a perfect masterpiece of fabric and silk, felt like it was suffocating you, each step a reminder that your body, your life, had been sculpted by someone else’s design.

how were you supposed to leave when you were like a puppy controlled by a string?

“everything is perfect, my dear,” your mother’s voice cut through the crowd, her smile wide and bright, the kind of smile that could blind anyone to the cold calculations in her eyes. she stood beside you, as always, a vision of composure, making sure every detail was flawless. “jaron’s family will be so pleased.”

you forced a smile, but it felt more like a mask. you nodded absently, your eyes scanning the crowd, hoping for a glimpse of someone you actually wanted to see.

and there she was. sevika, standing near the edge of the room, hiding behind shadows, her posture commanding as always, her eyes scanning the room with a quiet intensity. she wasn’t part of this world—she didn’t belong here. and yet, you couldn’t help but ache at the sight of her. in this sea of conformity, she was the only thing that felt real.

but before you could take another step, a firm hand gripped your arm, pulling you from your thoughts.

“time to play your part, little wife.”

jaron. you had almost forgotten he was standing there, waiting for his turn to make his presence known. his grip was too tight, his smile too wide. the moment his hand touched yours, you felt the first stirrings of something you couldn’t name—discomfort, fear, maybe even disgust.

“we should mingle,” jaron said, pulling you toward the center of the room. “after all, you’ll be mine soon enough.”

the words were meant to be comforting, but they twisted in your chest like a knife. you had never felt more trapped, more suffocated in your own skin than you did in this moment. but you forced yourself to smile, nodding obediently, as he led you through the sea of guests.

his presence, so close to you, felt suffocating. his touch lingered a little too long on your arm, and when he introduced you to a few of his associates, his hand slid too possessively to the small of your back. you could feel the eyes of the crowd on you, their attention heavy, as if they were all waiting for the moment when you would officially belong to him.

the party moved on, and the longer you stood there, the harder it became to breathe. your gaze kept flickering toward sevika, watching her from across the room. her eyes never left you, even though she was surrounded by shadows and people she didn’t know. you could feel the unspoken connection between you, but the knot in your stomach grew tighter, and something inside you began to wither in the face of your obligations.

and then, just as you thought you might slip away, jaron’s hand was on your waist again, pulling you close, his face inching too close to yours.

“don’t pretend you don’t want this,” jaron murmured, his voice low, forcing you to meet his eyes. his breath was hot on your neck, sending a shiver of discomfort through your body.

your mouth opened to protest, to say anything, but before you could, jaron took control. his lips pressed against yours, hard and demanding, a kiss that wasn’t born from affection but from ownership. his hands were rough, too forceful, as they gripped your face, forcing you to comply with the kiss that felt more like an invasion than an embrace.

it wasn’t the first kiss you had shared with him, but it was the first that left you feeling violated, as if your very soul had been trespassed upon. your body tensed, and you closed your eyes, wishing it would end. but it didn’t. his lips pressed against yours with a hunger you didn’t understand, as though he were claiming something that was never his to take.

it wasn’t the love you had dreamed of. it wasn’t the soft, gentle touch of someone who saw you for who you were. no. this was ownership. this was power. this was control.

the moment he pulled away, a cruel smile graced his lips. “you’ll get used to it,” he said, as if you were nothing more than a prize to be claimed.

your heart raced in your chest, a panic you couldn’t control rising within you. you wanted to push him away, to run—to find sevika and feel something real—but you were trapped. you were surrounded by eyes, and you were nothing more than a well-rehearsed performance.

jaron smirked, noticing your discomfort. “why don’t we take this upstairs?” he suggested, but before you could respond, he was already pulling you toward the staircase. his touch lingered on your arm, possessive and unyielding.

you could feel the tears welling in your eyes, threatening to spill, but you blinked them away. you had no choice. this was your life now. you had to play your part. and the part of you that still fought for freedom was buried beneath the weight of your family’s expectations, beneath the stifling reality that you couldn’t escape.

when you reached the upper floors, you felt the room spinning. the taste of jaron’s kiss lingered on your lips like ash, bitter and tainting. you wanted to scream, to claw at your skin, but you couldn’t. not here. not now.

“wait here,” jaron instructed, his voice a commanding force that left no room for argument. “i’ll be right back.”

as he left the room, you couldn’t help the sob that escaped your lips, quiet and hidden, but it felt like it ripped through your chest. your heart was shattered, torn between the life you had been forced into and the one you truly wanted.

but as you turned your gaze to the window, the cold glass pressing against your skin, your mind wandered to sevika.

and then the guilt hit you.

you had let her down. you had promised her that you would make a choice. but now, with jaron’s kiss still burning on your lips, you felt like a fraud. you couldn’t face her. not yet. not after this.

you turned away from the window, pressing your hands to your face as if you could wipe away the shame.

you didn’t know how to face sevika now. you didn’t know how to face anyone, least of all yourself.

—

the quiet in the room felt suffocating. your body was tense, stiff, as if it were trying to hold itself together against the storm of emotions crashing inside you. you leaned your back against the cold glass of the window, as if the chill could numb the burning heat of shame that flooded your chest. your breath came in shallow gasps, the weight of the engagement party, the kiss, and the expectations threatening to crush you under their pressure.

you wiped your face, trying to rid yourself of the tears that had threatened to spill. but the shame still clung to you like a second skin suffocating and impossible to escape.

you had promised sevika you’d choose. you had promised her you would be with her. but in this moment, you felt like a liar. a coward.

jaron's kiss had been so forceful, so invasive. It had been an act of possession, not love. his hands had gripped you like he owned you, and in that moment, you felt like you had lost a piece of yourself. the feeling of his lips on yours was still there, lingering, tainting everything it had touched. every part of you wanted to forget it, to run to sevika and find solace in her embrace, but you couldn't bring yourself to do it.

not yet.

not when you felt like you had betrayed her in the worst way possible.

your stomach churned with guilt. sevika had always been the one who understood you—the one who made you feel alive in a way no one else ever had. but tonight, you had let her down. you had let the life your parents had planned for you take control, and now there was no turning back. not without consequences.

there was a knock at the door.

you stiffened, wiping your face one last time and taking a deep, steadying breath. you couldn’t break down now. not with the party still going on downstairs, not with jaron waiting for you. you had to act like everything was fine. you had to play the part.

“come in,” you said, your voice barely a whisper, but steady enough to betray nothing of the storm raging inside you.

the door opened, and jaron stepped into the room, his expression unreadable. he moved toward you with that same confident air, like he had won something. his eyes gleamed, still dark from the kiss, as if the conquest had satisfied him.

“you look a little pale,” he commented, his tone too casual, too detached. he was already beginning to adjust the way he saw you—like you were something to be molded, something to be claimed.

you couldn’t meet his eyes. you didn’t want to.

“i’m fine,” you said quickly, brushing him off. the words tasted bitter as they left your lips, but you couldn’t afford to show weakness. not here. Nlnot with him.

jaron moved closer, his hand resting on your shoulder in that too-familiar way. you flinched at his touch, the unwanted warmth of it seeping into your skin. he didn’t notice. or perhaps he didn’t care.

“good,” he said, stepping closer still. “the night’s not over yet. we’ve got to make our grand entrance. let everyone see the future of piltover.”

you nodded absently, your gaze drifting to the window again. you were trapped. And the realization stung with the clarity of a knife's edge.

when jaron placed his hand on the small of your back, leading you back downstairs to the party, you felt a sense of dread settle in your chest. the crowd was still bustling, and the orchestra’s sweet melodies played on, but everything felt wrong. every laugh, every smile, every glance from the guests felt like a mockery, a reminder that you were a part of this world you didn’t want.

as you stepped back into the spotlight, you felt the eyes of everyone on you—eyes full of expectation, eyes that could see through the fragile facade you had carefully built. your heart raced, but you forced yourself to smile, to do your duty. you were the perfect bride-to-be, the dutiful daughter, the one who would bring honor to the family name.

but none of it felt real.

the silence that followed your arrival felt heavier than before. it wasn’t just the gazes of the guests, but the absence of sevika’s presence that weighed on you. Hlher absence felt like a physical ache, a hollowness you couldn’t fill. she wasn’t here. she wouldn’t be here. not after what had happened.

the thought of her, of her strong arms holding you, of her touch that made you feel like you could breathe again, only made the guilt cut deeper. you had promised yourself—promised her—that you would be with her. you had promised you’d leave all of this behind. but now you stood here, in the middle of everything you hated, and it felt like your soul was being torn in two.

“let’s dance,” jaron said, his voice smooth and unbothered. his hand extended to you, as if you were still his—still the docile woman he had claimed as his own.

you didn’t respond right away. you stood frozen, staring at the dance floor, the orchestra’s music building, pulling everyone into the rhythm of what they expected.

“i’m not feeling well,” you said quickly, your voice shaky. “i think i need some air.”

before jaron could protest, you turned and fled, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the room. you moved through the crowd with a grace that felt foreign, as if you were no longer the woman they had known, as if you had become someone else entirely. someone who was lost, someone who was drowning.

you made your way toward the balcony, but before you could reach the door, you found yourself face-to-face with a familiar, much-needed presence.

sevika.

she stood in the shadow of the balcony, her eyes hard and unreadable, but they softened when they landed on you. for a moment, everything else faded away. the music, the laughter, the chatter—they were all distant sounds, lost in the space between the two of you.

“why are you here?” you didn’t mean to sound so harsh, but the words came out like an accusation. the truth was, you didn’t know why you were so angry. you didn’t know why seeing her only made the ache in your chest worse.

sevika didn’t flinch at your tone. instead, she took a step closer, her gaze locked onto yours. “i came to see you.”

the simplicity of her words hit you harder than you expected. the tension in your body, the twisting in your gut, the guilt that had been gnawing at you—it all came to the surface.

“i can’t…” you shook your head, your voice faltering as you tried to pull away. but sevika’s hand was already on your wrist, stopping you from retreating.

“you don’t have to explain anything to me,” sevika said quietly, her thumb brushing over your skin in a soft, comforting gesture. “but i’m here. i’m always here. don’t let this”—she gestured vaguely to the room behind you—“make you forget who you are. who we are.”

her words struck you like a lifeline, but they also reminded you of how far you had drifted from her. the guilt in your chest flared again, sharp and unbearable.

“i’ve made a mess of everything,” you admitted, your voice thick with emotion. “i can’t be with you, sevika. not like this.”

sevika’s grip tightened on your wrist, but her eyes never wavered from yours. “don’t shut me out. not because of him. not because of any of this.”

you pulled away from her gently, shaking your head, the tears finally coming. “i’ve already lost myself, sevika. i don’t know who i am anymore. i don’t know how to fix this.”

the words were like daggers, each one more painful than the last. and yet, sevika just stood there, waiting for you to let her in. she didn’t try to force you to come back, but she wouldn’t leave either.

the silence between you was filled with the weight of what you had lost, of what you were too afraid to give up.

“i need time,” you whispered. “please, just…give me time.”

sevika nodded slowly, her gaze soft but filled with an intensity that made your heart ache. “take all the time you need. but i’m not going anywhere.”

and for the first time that night, you felt a small sliver of hope break through the heavy darkness that had threatened to swallow you whole.

—

the night had started like any other. the oppressive weight of your engagement, the hollow smiles, and the constant pressure to play your part—it all became numb after a while. but tonight felt different. you had sneaked away once again, just like before, drawn to the only place where you could breathe without suffocating.

sevika was waiting for you in the alley behind a rundown tavern in zaun. you had been meeting her here for weeks now—each stolen moment, each touch, a desperate defiance against the life your parents had chosen for you. you didn't care that it was forbidden. you didn't care about the consequences. all that mattered was her.

as you slipped out of the shadows and into her arms, the world outside seemed to fade. sevika’s touch was always grounding, her presence a solid anchor in a world that had become too vast, too uncertain. she kissed you softly, her lips gentle against yours. it was always like this when it was just the two of you: the brief, fleeting moments of tenderness in a world that demanded nothing but perfection from you.

“i missed you,” you murmured, the words a soft confession as your hands tangled in her jacket.

“i missed you too,” sevika replied, her voice thick with longing, her hands already sliding down to your waist, pulling you closer. she could always read you, could always sense the turmoil that churned in your chest. you had never been good at hiding your feelings, especially around her.

but tonight felt different. there was an edge to the air, a sense of urgency in the way she held you, as if the walls were closing in. you couldn’t put your finger on it, but something was wrong.

before you could ask, you heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching, the unmistakable clicking of heels on cobblestone. your heart skipped a beat as a shadow appeared at the end of the alley, followed by more figures. panic flooded your veins.

“sevika…” you whispered, pulling away from her just as the figures came into view.

it was too late. your parents. both of them. your father’s furious face, set in stone, and your mother’s calculating gaze met yours. behind them stood jaron, his expression a mixture of triumph and disgust.

“what is this?” your father’s voice boomed, his gaze scanning the scene with contempt. they'd followed you, noticing your frequent absences. “you—what have you done?” he took a step forward, his words cutting through the air like a whip.

you froze, the weight of the moment crashing down on you. the realization hit like a tidal wave—your secret was no longer a secret. you had been caught.

sevika stepped back, her expression unreadable, her jaw clenched in frustration. she didn’t say a word, but the look she gave you said everything. she had known the risks. she had known the consequences. but she never thought it would come to this. she never thought you would be dragged back into this life, back into the chains your family had set for you.

your mother was the first to speak, her voice laced with venom. “this—this thing is nothing more than a filthy distraction,” she spat, her eyes narrowing at sevika. “a criminal. a thug. and you—” her gaze turned back to you, her face twisted in fury. “you’ve betrayed us. you’ve thrown everything we’ve worked for into the dirt.”

“mother, please—” you started, your voice trembling, but your mother silenced you with a cold glance.

“there is no excuse for this. there’s no excuse for her.” she gestured to sevika, her voice dripping with disdain. “and there will be no forgiveness.”

your father stepped forward, his fist clenched at his side. “this is unforgivable, do you understand? we’ve given you everything. a future. a name. a place in this world. and you’ve thrown it all away for what? for this?” he motioned to sevika, his face red with anger.

you felt the tears welling in your eyes, but you forced them down. you couldn’t show weakness, not now. not in front of them. “i’m sorry,” you whispered, the words tasting like ash in your mouth.

jaron, who had been standing silently at the edge of the group, finally spoke up, his voice cold and dismissive. “it’s too late for apologies. what’s done is done.” he stepped forward, a cruel smirk tugging at his lips. “but you’ve made it clear that you’re not the woman i thought you were. not the woman i agreed to marry. i won’t tolerate this... this rebellion.”

you wanted to scream. you wanted to tell them all that you didn’t belong in this world, that you never had. that sevika was the only person who had ever made you feel alive, who had ever truly seen you for who you were. but the words caught in your throat.

your father’s face softened, but only slightly. “we’ve already arranged everything. the date is moved up,” he announced, as though this were just another transaction to be completed. “the wedding will take place next week.”

the shock of his words hit you like a punch to the gut. you tried to protest, but your father cut you off, his voice final.

“you’ve made your bed. now you will lie in it. this disgrace will end tonight.”

you looked at sevika, your heart breaking as you saw the pain in her eyes. she took a step forward, but your father’s glare stopped her in her tracks. “you’re nothing more than a distraction. you’ll leave this city, or we’ll make you leave. you’re not welcome here.”

sevika looked at you, her gaze filled with sorrow, but also with determination. she wasn’t going to fight them. not here. not now.

“i won’t forget you,” she said quietly, her voice strained with emotion.

your heart shattered as you nodded, unable to speak. the world felt like it was

your heart shattered as you nodded, unable to speak. the world felt like it was spinning out of control, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. your life had been torn apart in an instant.

jaron stepped in, his hand resting possessively on your arm. “let’s go,” he said, his voice cold and commanding. “you’ve made your choice.”

you didn’t resist. there was no point. you had already lost. you had already been condemned to a life you never wanted.

as you were pulled away from sevika, your heart ached. every step felt like it was pulling you further from her, further from the life you had once dreamed of. but you couldn’t escape it. you couldn’t escape the world your parents had forced upon you.

jaron’s grip on you tightened as you were led back inside, away from the woman who had been your everything.

and as the door closed behind you, you knew—this was the end.

—

the days that followed felt like a blur, each moment dragging on as if the world itself had slowed down to mock your pain. the engagement party was nothing but a distant memory now—replaced with the crushing reality of your situation. the wedding, moved up sooner than anyone had expected, loomed over you like a dark cloud, each day making the impending doom feel more inescapable.

you sat at your vanity, the delicate brush in your hand forgotten as your eyes wandered to the reflection in front of you. the woman staring back at you looked nothing like the one you had once been. the sparkle in your eyes had dimmed, replaced by a hollow, haunted gaze. your hands trembled as you gently placed the brush down, feeling the weight of the ring jaron had given you earlier—his claim on you—pressing against your skin like an iron shackle.

you couldn’t understand how it had come to this. how everything you had fought for, everything you had dreamed of, was slipping through your fingers like sand. sevika had been your escape, your salvation in a world that demanded conformity. but now, she was gone—taken from you by the very people who had raised you, who had controlled your every move.

there was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of it opening. you didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

jaron stepped into the room, his presence almost suffocating. he was dressed in his finest clothes, his hair meticulously styled, as though everything about him was put together perfectly. it was so easy for him to be everything he was expected to be. for him, there were no complications, no internal battles. but for you? for you, every step forward felt like walking through quicksand.

he closed the door behind him, his gaze moving over you with a mixture of possessiveness and satisfaction. “you look beautiful,” he said, the words almost too rehearsed. it was a compliment, yes, but one laced with an undertone of ownership.

you didn’t respond. you couldn’t. there was nothing to say.

he walked over to you, his hand gently resting on your shoulder as he stood behind you, looking at your reflection. “this is happening, whether you like it or not,” he continued, his voice softer now, as if trying to placate you. “it’s what’s best for both of us.”

you finally turned to face him, your gaze hard, but the tears were already brimming, threatening to spill over. “best for who?” the words felt heavy in your throat, bitter. “you? your family? or is this what’s best for you to control me?”

jaron’s expression faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a smile that was nothing more than a thin veneer of civility. “i don’t expect you to understand yet, but you will. in time, you’ll see that this is the only way. this is your destiny, whether you choose to accept it or not.”

your chest tightened. your destiny. the words hung in the air like a curse, each syllable a reminder of the path you had been forced onto.

“i don’t love you,” you whispered, each word carrying a weight of sorrow. “i never have.”

his eyes darkened for a split second, the smile slipping from his face. there was a flash of something in his gaze—anger, frustration—but it quickly melted away into that same, practiced expression. he took a step back, his posture stiffening.

“i’m aware,” he said, his voice controlled. “but that will change. in time, you’ll come to understand that love isn’t something that happens on your terms. it’s something you build.”

you wanted to scream, to tear the world apart, but you knew it wouldn’t change anything. nothing ever had. not when your family’s expectations weighed so heavily on your every breath, not when sevika was out of reach, her name a distant echo in your heart.

“you can’t force me to love you,” you said quietly, though your voice quivered. “i won’t ever love you. not the way you want me to.”

jaron stared at you for a long moment, his eyes searching yours, as if trying to find a flicker of the woman he had once thought he could possess. but there was nothing there. you had already slipped away.

with a sharp exhale, he turned toward the door, but before he left, he spoke again, his voice low and almost sad. “you’ll come to understand eventually. and when you do, i’ll be waiting.”

as the door closed behind him, the silence returned—unwelcome, suffocating. the weight of his words settled over you like a blanket of ice. you’ll come to understand eventually.

but how could you? how could you ever understand a life that wasn’t your own? how could you accept the chains that had been forged around you, shackling you to a man you didn’t love, a life you never wanted?

that night, as you lay in your bed, staring at the ceiling, you thought of sevika. the way she had looked at you that last time, her eyes full of pain and longing. you closed your eyes, but the image of her face wouldn’t leave you. her absence felt like a gaping hole in your chest, a wound that wouldn’t heal.

and that was when it hit you—the cold, bitter truth.

there was no escaping it now. the wedding was happening, and you would have to walk down that aisle. you would have to submit to the life your parents had built for you, to the man you had never chosen. sevika would be nothing more than a memory—a distant ache you couldn’t hold on to.

the tears finally came then, hot and relentless, as you buried your face in your pillow. your sobs filled the quiet room, but there was no one to hear them. no one to comfort you. you were truly alone.

—

the next few days blurred into a haze of preparations. your parents were relentless, pushing you through the motions of the wedding with cold efficiency. the day of the ceremony arrived far too quickly, each passing moment feeling like another nail in the coffin of your former life.

the church was grand, its walls adorned with gold and white, a symbol of everything your parents valued: wealth, power, reputation. as you stood at the altar, dressed in a gown you had never wanted, your mind drifted back to sevika. you tried not to think about her, tried to push her image away, but it was impossible. the memory of her was burned into your mind like a brand.

the doors opened, and jaron stepped forward, his face a mask of smug satisfaction. you met his eyes, your stomach churning with disgust. you tried to remind yourself that this was what had been decided, that this was your fate. but deep down, you knew it wasn’t. you weren’t supposed to be here. you weren’t supposed to be his.

and yet, there you were, trapped.

the vows were a blur, the words spoken by rote, as if they were nothing more than an obligation to fulfill. you didn’t remember the rings being exchanged, or the way jaron’s hand gripped yours so tightly. all you could feel was the absence of sevika, and the crushing weight of what you had lost.

and when the ceremony ended, and you were officially bound to jaron, you felt as though your soul had already left your body. there was no escape from this life, no way back to the one you had wanted. the woman you were before was gone, buried beneath the weight of duty, of expectation, and of a love that had never been.

—

the wedding was over. the vows had been exchanged. the future that had been thrust upon you, uninvited and unwelcome, was now your reality. you had become a wife, and with it came the heavy burden of a life you hadn’t chosen. a life you had never asked for. the night, however, was far from over.

jaron had insisted on taking you to a luxurious retreat for your honeymoon. a lavish suite overlooking a serene lake, the grandeur of the place only highlighting the emptiness you felt inside. it was supposed to be a time of celebration—a time for you both to enjoy your union, to find closeness, to begin building something new. but you saw it for what it truly was: a cage.

the moment the door to the suite closed behind you, the reality of your situation hit you like a crushing wave. the air in the room felt thick, suffocating. you wanted nothing more than to turn around, to walk away, to run back to the life you had known before the wedding. but you couldn’t. you had no choice.

jaron smiled, as if this was a victory he had long been waiting for. his eyes gleamed with the arrogance of someone who believed he had finally claimed what was his. he was pleased, so deeply pleased, and you couldn’t understand how it was possible that he had no idea of the anguish in your heart.

the heavy silence between you felt suffocating, the ornate, expensive surroundings a sharp contrast to the emptiness gnawing at your soul. he walked toward the bed, his hands already loosening the tie of his shirt. you stood frozen in place, your back pressed to the door as if you could somehow keep the reality of the situation at bay.

“come here,” jaron said, his voice soft but firm.

your heart pounded in your chest, a mix of fear and deep resentment flooding your veins. you felt your pulse in your throat as you hesitated for a moment before you forced yourself to take a step forward, knowing that there was no way out.

as you approached, he turned to face you, his lips curling into a smirk. he reached out and brushed a lock of your hair away from your face, his fingers trailing lightly across your skin. the touch was meant to be tender, but you only felt disgust. the very thought of him touching you, possessing you in such an intimate way, made your stomach turn.

“i know this is difficult for you,” he said, his voice low. “but you’ll learn to appreciate me, in time. you’ll see how good we can be together.”

you wanted to scream at him, to tell him that no, you wouldn’t, that you could never love him the way he wanted, but you kept the words to yourself. there was no point.

jaron guided you toward the bed, his touch insistent, his body pressing into yours as he undressed you with slow, calculated movements. every inch of your exposed skin felt vulnerable, exposed—more than just physically, but emotionally as well. you wanted to pull away, to escape, but his hold on you was firm. he wasn’t giving you an option.

when his lips touched yours, you flinched. it was a kiss that had no tenderness, no affection. it was a kiss of possession, of dominance. his hands were rough, and the way he touched you made you feel like an object—a thing to be used. the kiss deepened, and his hands traveled lower, making you want to recoil, but you couldn’t.

tears welled in your eyes, but you forced them back. you couldn’t let him see your weakness. you couldn’t let him know how broken you were, how much you hated every second of this.

and yet, your body betrayed you. as much as you hated him, as much as you despised everything about this situation, a part of you responded. the touch, the heat, the pressure of him against you—it all ignited something inside you, something primal and unfamiliar. you hated that part of yourself, the part that wanted this even as your mind screamed against it.

his hands were all over you now, pulling at your clothes, his breath ragged against your skin. you felt an ache between your legs, a heat that made you feel nauseous, disgusted with yourself for reacting this way. but jaron didn’t notice. he didn’t care. to him, this was all part of the game.

he undressed you fully, pushing you back onto the bed, his weight following immediately after. the room felt too small, the air too thick, as though it was closing in on you. his hands gripped your body with a force that made you wince, his movements growing desperate, impatient. you barely had time to adjust before he was inside you, and the sudden, sharp pain made you cry out.

you squeezed your eyes shut, trying to block out everything—the way his body moved against yours, the way his breath hitched in your ear, the way he took you like it was something he had been waiting for his entire life. you wanted to pull away, to push him off, but his hands held you in place, forcing you to stay still, to endure.

the pain was unbearable. every thrust made you feel more raw, more exposed. you could feel the blood, the bruises forming on your skin, the tears that slipped down your cheeks as you tried to keep your composure. it wasn’t supposed to be this way. it wasn’t supposed to hurt this much.

when it was over, jaron didn’t look at you with concern. he didn’t ask if you were okay. he simply lay next to you, his breathing slowing as he pulled you into his arms.

you stiffened at his touch, your body still aching, but he didn’t seem to care. he kissed the top of your head, murmuring something about how you would come to enjoy this, how you would learn to love him. but you didn’t hear him. the only sound in your head was the sound of your own breath, ragged and broken.

as he drifted to sleep, you remained awake, staring at the ceiling, feeling every ache in your body. you felt the blood between your legs, the sting, the emptiness. you couldn’t stop the tears that began to fall, couldn’t stop the flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm you.

this wasn’t love. this wasn’t anything close to what you had imagined. it wasn’t even kindness. it was a violation, a forced intimacy that left you empty and broken. the honeymoon had been nothing but a cruel joke, a beautiful lie to hide the truth of what you had been forced to endure.

the night felt endless, and as you lay there, clinging to the shattered remnants of your will, you couldn’t help but wish for the impossible—to go back to before, when sevika had been your only truth, your only light in a world full of darkness.

but there was no going back. you were trapped now, bound by the promises of a life that was never yours to begin with.

—

three years. three long years of silence, of putting on a face for the world, of living a life that was never yours.

the day had come—your body heavy, your mind numb. the child jaron had so eagerly wanted was about to be born, though you never desired it. you had never wanted to be here, never asked for any of this: the marriage, the pregnancy, the endless cycle of duty and obligation. but here you were, trapped in a cage that had only grown smaller with time.

you had no choice but to endure. you had no voice in this world anymore.

the labor had been long, agonizing. your body had screamed at you to stop, to rest, but there was no rest to be found. each wave of pain that crashed over you felt like a reminder that you were a prisoner of your own life. the hours dragged on, your mind and body exhausted, while jaron stood by your side with a cold expression, offering no comfort, no reassurance.

you didn’t look at him. there was nothing left to say, no words left to be spoken between you. he had gotten what he wanted—a child. and you were merely a vessel, a means to an end.

the pain was unbearable. your body felt as though it were being torn apart, each contraction a brutal reminder of how far you had fallen from the woman you once were. you thought back to the days when you were free, when you could sneak away to zaun and find solace in sevika’s arms. but those days were long gone. the pain now was a reminder that those moments would never come again. you were alone, with no escape.

as the child was finally delivered, you could feel the weight of the moment. it was over. the child you never wanted was in your arms now, and you had no idea what to do with it. the weight of motherhood had never seemed so foreign, so unwelcome.

jaron stood beside you, his face unreadable as he looked at the newborn. his gaze lingered on the child with an expression of triumph, but nothing more. he didn’t look at you—not as a wife, not as someone who had just gone through the painful ordeal of childbirth. he didn’t care.

the child was a symbol of his victory, and you were just the vessel that had created it.

—

the days that followed felt like a simple moment. you were supposed to be recovering from the birth, but instead, you found yourself growing weaker with each passing day. the fever came first, creeping in slowly at first, like a shadow that threatened to take over. your body ached, your head felt heavy, and every movement felt like a battle against your own body.

you tried to tell yourself it was just exhaustion, that it would pass. but it didn’t. it only grew worse. you could feel the cold sweat coating your skin, the chills that would strike without warning. your once-strong body felt frail, each breath coming in short gasps, as if the air itself had grown too thick for you to breathe.

jaron didn’t seem to notice. or if he did, he didn’t care. he had his child. he had what he wanted from you, and that was all that mattered. you were nothing more than a tool for him now, a means to an end.

you had nothing left for him. you had nothing left to give.

as the days passed, your health continued to deteriorate. the fever raged, but no medicine seemed to work. your strength faltered, and the sense of hopelessness that had already filled you before now consumed you entirely. you lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of your misery pressing down on you with every passing minute.

the baby cried, but there was no comfort to be found in the sounds. you tried to get up to tend to it, but your body refused to obey. it was as though your entire being had shut down in response to the life you had been forced into.

jaron, cold and distant as always, had someone else tend to the child. he would look in on you occasionally, his gaze indifferent, as if you were merely an obstacle to be dealt with. he had no interest in your well-being, in your pain. he only cared about the child and the image of the perfect family, one that was nothing but a facade.

days turned into weeks, and your condition worsened. you could no longer eat, no longer stand. the fever had taken hold of you, and your body was growing weaker with each passing day. your once vibrant eyes were dull, clouded with the fever that consumed you. your skin had become pale, almost translucent, and your bones ached as though the life had been drained from you.

there were moments of clarity, brief flashes of your old self, but they were fleeting. they never lasted long enough for you to hold onto them. the person you had once been was fading away, slipping through your fingers like sand.

you thought of sevika, of the nights you had spent together in the shadows of zaun. you had loved her, and she had loved you. but that was before. that was before the weight of this life had crushed you beneath it. now, there was no escaping it. there was no way out.

your mind would drift to the life you had once wanted—the freedom to be who you were, to love who you wanted, to be something more than a vessel for a child you hadn’t asked for. but those dreams were just that: dreams. your reality was a nightmare, and there was no waking up from it.

—

the doctor had come, but his words were nothing more than a formality. he had taken your pulse, checked your temperature, and spoken in quiet tones to jaron. the words "serious" and "complications" had been thrown around, but it was clear that there was no real hope. the fever had reached its peak, and your body was no longer strong enough to fight it off.

you were slipping away.

as night fell, you lay in the cold, unfamiliar bed, the weight of your pain pressing down on you. jaron was asleep in the chair by the window, his back to you, his attention on the child in the next room. you could hear the soft cooing of the baby, a sound that should have filled you with warmth, but instead, it made your heart ache with emptiness.

you closed your eyes, letting the darkness take over.

and for the first time in years, you felt like you were finally free.

—

the fever had not relented, nor had the weakening of your body. days bled into each other, indistinguishable from one another. the pain was constant, but it was dull, like an ever-present weight on your chest that made it difficult to breathe. every breath you took seemed like an effort. your body, once so full of life, was betraying you, slowly and surely.

you lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, feeling the life slipping away from you. the baby—your child—was in the other room, its cries occasionally breaking the silence. but those sounds no longer reached you as they once did. they were just distant echoes of a life that was no longer yours. the love you had for the child was nonexistent, and you couldn’t find the strength to pretend otherwise.

there was only one thing left in your heart, one thing that burned through the fog of pain and weakness.

sevika.

it felt like an impossible request, a final wish that could never come true. but you were so close to the end now. you could feel it in your bones, a certainty that you had no more time to waste. the world had taken everything from you—your freedom, your choice, your love. but at the very least, before you were swallowed whole by this life, you wanted to see her again.

you had been dreaming of her more often in the last few days. in your delirium, her face had become the one thing that kept you tethered to something real. something alive. when you closed your eyes, you could almost feel her touch, her warmth. you imagined that if you saw her one last time, you could at least die knowing that love, true love, still existed somewhere. even if it had been taken from you, even if you could never have it again, it would still be there in your memory.

you begged jaron. you begged the servants. you begged anyone who would listen, but the request was met with cold refusal.

“no,” jaron had said when you mentioned sevika’s name. his voice had been flat, dismissive. “you will not see her. she has no place here. and you don’t have time for such nonsense.”

you had tried again, weakly, to argue that this was your dying wish, that you had only days left. but it was as though no one cared. no one wanted to honor your last request. they didn’t care that your heart was breaking, that your soul was torn between a life of misery and the one you had lost forever.

the days passed, one after the other, and with each passing hour, you grew weaker. your world grew dimmer. you no longer had the strength to argue, to fight for a moment of happiness, a moment of peace before it all ended. you had nothing left.

the night you slipped away, you could feel it—the cool, quiet pull of death, drawing you in like a soft whisper. your breath had become shallow, your body had become stiff, and the pain had finally dulled enough that you could think clearly, if only for a moment.

your final thoughts were of her, sevika. how you would never hear her voice again, never feel her embrace. it was a cruel, bitter irony that in your final moments, you could only wish for the one thing you had lost forever.

—

the funeral came just days after you passed.

the day of your burial was cold and gray, the air thick with the weight of loss. no one spoke of you in any great detail, only that you had been a dutiful wife, a woman who had done her duty. the truth of your unhappiness, your suffering, was buried beneath a mask of politeness and false grief.

jaron stood at the front, his face impassive, his eyes distant. the child—your child—was in his arms, and he seemed to care more for the infant than the woman who had borne it. your body, so fragile now, had been lowered into the earth without ceremony. it was a simple grave, a place where you would be left to rot, just another forgotten woman in a world that had never cared for you.

as the spring rolled around, a freshly dug grave was on the ground, a mound of dirt that seemed to grow larger with each passing day, swallowed by the seasons. the flowers you had once admired were now just distant memories, and the world seemed to go on without you, as if nothing had changed.

sevika never knew.

weeks later, the news finally reached her.

sevika had been living in the shadows, like she always had. her life in zaun had never been easy, but it had been the only place where she had felt alive, where she had felt a semblance of hope. the wars, the chaos, they had all become normal to her. but even in the midst of it all, something had been missing. she had sensed it, felt the weight of the emptiness, but she had no way of knowing.

and then, one day, a message came.

it was cold, impersonal—a letter from your family’s estate, the words blunt and heartless. you were gone. you had died days ago. the letter offered no details, no explanation. it simply stated the facts: you had passed. your funeral had already been held.

sevika read those words again and again, as though they might somehow change, as though they might somehow bring you back. but the reality settled in with crushing weight.

she had not been allowed to be at your side in your final moments. she had been denied the chance to say goodbye, to hold your hand, to be there as you had drawn your last breath.

her heart broke. her chest tightened with grief so powerful that it nearly brought her to her knees. the pain was unbearable, the silence in her heart deafening. you had been her light, her escape from a world that had never accepted either of you.

she cursed the world, cursed the forces that had kept her away from you when you needed her the most. there were no words for the agony she felt—no words for the brutal, bitter grief that consumed her.

and the thought that you had died alone, that you had been forced to suffer without her by your side, was too much to bear.

sevika had people on the inside. well—scratch that. silco had people on the inside. and because of that, it hadn’t taken much for her to get a copy of your autopsy report.

it landed in her hands easily, like it had been waiting for her all along. she spent hours reading it. over and over. memorizing every word, every sterile phrase, every clinical sentence that reduced your existence to data and diagnosis. it was far too short. so painfully brief. as if you hadn’t mattered at all. they hadn’t even tried. no real efforts had been made to save you. jaron—fucking jaron—had signed off on denying you any life-saving treatment.

his reason? that you didn’t have any fight left in you.

but sevika knew better. she knew the truth that coward refused to see.

with the right doctors—real doctors—and the proper medicine, you could have recovered. you could’ve healed. you could’ve flourished into the version of yourself she still saw when she closed her eyes. the one who would kiss her behind the last drop, soaked from the rain, grinning like the world wasn’t hell.

she wishes she had been there. gods, she aches for it. to hold your hand through it all. but she knows—she knows deep down—she wouldn’t have just held your hand.

no. sevika would have torn the world apart for you.

she’d have slaughtered anyone who stood in her way, anyone who dared keep her from you. she would’ve swept through the ward like a storm, taken your fragile, failing body into her arms, and brought you home. to her tiny, cluttered apartment in zaun. it wasn’t much, but it would’ve been safe. it would’ve been yours.

and she would’ve done anything to save you.

every medicine, every chemical stashed in the black corners of zaun, locked away in dusty cabinets and whispered about in dark alleys—she’d have found it. bought it. stolen it. made deals with the worst kinds of people. she would’ve spent everything she owned. given her blood, her limb, her life.

she would’ve saved you.

her painter.

her light.

her greatest regret.

──

sevika made her way to the graveyard in the dead of night, her footsteps heavy with the weight of what she had lost. she stood in front of your grave, the cold wind whipping through her hair. the stone marker was simple, just a name, a date. nothing more. it was all that remained of you.

tears blurred her vision, but she did not care. she placed her hand on the grave, her heart breaking all over again.

“you deserved so much more,” she whispered to the wind, her voice thick with emotion. “i should have been there with you. i should have protected you.”

she knelt in front of the grave, her head bowed as she grieved for the woman she had loved—her best friend, her lover, her heart. you were gone, and she had been denied the chance to say goodbye. the world had stolen you from her, and there was no justice for it.

as the wind howled through the empty graveyard, sevika whispered your name, holding onto the memory of your love, a love that would never be allowed to blossom, never be given the chance to grow.

the grief sevika felt was overwhelming. she didn’t know how to live in a world without you. she didn’t know how to move forward when the love of her life was buried in a grave she couldn’t visit, a grave that was no longer just a symbol of your death, but a representation of everything she had lost.

the world had stolen you from her, and no matter how hard she fought, it had won.

#arcane #sevika #sevika arcane #sevika x f!reader #arcane sevika #sevika x reader #sevika x female reader #sad ending #18+ mdni #wlw #sevika x you #sevika x y/n #hannah's little corner ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ

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