Chapter 21: No More Secrets
The words hung between us, thick and heavy like fog refusing to lift.
"I have something important to tell you," I repeated softly, my heart racing faster than it had during any life-threatening moment on-site.
Sienna didn't move from her spot, her head still resting against my shoulder. I felt her hum again, that soft vibration against me, but this time it wasn't comforting. It was terrifying.
Because once I said what I needed to say, there was no going back.
I took a slow breath, my chest tightening. She deserved to know everything. I couldn't let this—us—be built on half-truths and omissions. I didn't want to be in a relationship where the person beside me was left in the dark, especially not Sienna. She deserved more than that.
"Before I say anything," I started, shifting slightly so I could see her face, "I want you to think about this—really think about it—after I'm done. Whether or not you want to continue... whatever this is between us. You deserve that choice."
Her brows furrowed, the small smile on her lips fading into something cautious. "You're scaring me a little, Reynard."
I gave a short, humorless laugh. "Yeah, well... I'm scaring myself."
Another breath. In. Out. No more stalling.
"I was going to kill myself."
The words dropped like stones, raw and unpolished, but I needed to say them that way. I needed the truth to be unfiltered.