The storm broke above them, heavy rain pelting down, plastering her hair to her face. She stood rigid, her arms hugging herself as if she could shield her heart from him. The ring on her finger felt heavier than stone.

“Theo, stop,” she whispered, but her voice cracked. “It’s too late.”

Theo’s eyes burned, not from the rain, but from the truth he couldn’t swallow anymore. His chest heaved, his breaths shallow, uneven. For years he had hidden it behind dry remarks and half-smiles, behind the safety of friendship. But watching her slip away was killing him.

His voice came rough, breaking with every word. “You can’t marry him. You can’t. You know it should’ve been me. You’ve always known.”

She shook her head, tears mixing with the storm. “Don’t do this, Theo—”

But he already was. His legs gave out beneath him, the weight of everything crashing down. He dropped to his knees in the mud, rain soaking through his clothes until he shivered. He reached for her hand, but stopped halfway, as if touching her might shatter him completely.

“I’ve loved you my whole life,” he choked, voice breaking apart. His eyes, usually so guarded, now shone with tears that streamed freely. “Since we were kids. Since before you even knew what love meant. I can’t—” His voice faltered, his shoulders shaking. “I can’t let you walk into someone else’s arms when mine have been waiting all this time.”

He bowed his head, kneeling before her like a man defeated, rain dripping from his lashes. His words came out broken, but desperate, aching: “Please. Don’t choose him. Don’t make me live without you.”

The storm roared around them, but in that moment, the only sound that mattered was the sharp, uneven sob of the boy who had always loved her, begging her not to go.