Chapter 184: You’re mad at me, aren’t you?
"Yes?" Isabella’s voice came out as a nervous giggle, the kind that hides a tremor of uncertainty. She half-smiled, eyes sparkling with a mix of challenge and curiosity. "Don’t tell me it’s harmful to you!" she teased, trying to keep the mood light, but the moment her words hung in the air, Cyrus’s reaction silenced her.
His head shook slowly, deliberately—an almost imperceptible but firm refusal. His gaze stayed steady, calm, but there was a weight behind it, something heavier than the gentle man she had come to know.
"You gave me something so precious, Isabella," he said softly, voice low and almost a whisper, as if trying to shield her from the truth. "And you can’t keep going there."
He reached out then, his hand gently grasping her wrist. The touch wasn’t harsh or demanding; it was the quiet insistence of someone desperate to protect what they loved. His fingers curled lightly around her arm, grounding her in the moment, halting whatever words she might have tried to say.
"It’s dangerous," he added, voice trembling with something she hadn’t seen before — a deep, quiet fear that mirrored the shadows in his eyes.
Isabella’s smile wavered as she searched his face, trying to understand the gravity behind his words. "Because it’s dangerous and harmful," she said slowly, realization dawning in her eyes. But then, the mischievous glint returned, weak but defiant. "Don’t worry, Cyrus. If I ever die—"
Her sentence was cut short by Cyrus’s hand tightening just a fraction, his palm pressing softly against her forearm as if to anchor her from drifting down that dark path. "No, please," he interrupted, eyes never leaving hers. "I’m serious. It is dangerous there."
His tone was calm but edged with urgency, a warning born from memories he dared not speak aloud.
Isabella looked up at him, searching his face, trying to decode the storm brewing beneath his serene exterior. The fear was unmistakable—pure and raw, a rare crack in his usually composed demeanor.