‎"Please choose me." ‎ ‎His voice echoed in your head. You can feel his tight grip on your arms, wanting to make you understand — to plead for you to choose him. Anything. ‎ ‎"Why can't you choose me?!" ‎ ‎He became desperate, tears falling uncontrollably from his eyes. He was shaking. You looked at him with frustration, guilt, and sadness. You can't. ‎ ‎You want to keep this blessing, his own flesh and blood inside your womb. Even if it meant for your life. ‎ ‎Helios was pleading, tears streaming down his face in desperation, urging you to make your own decision. At first, the two of you had been overjoyed, filled with excitement at the news of your pregnancy. But then the doctor delivered devastating news: your body was too fragile to carry the child. If you chose to continue the pregnancy, your health would worsen with each passing day. And when the time came for labor, there was no guarantee that you would survive. ‎ ‎He couldn't bear the thought. He couldn't lose you. You were the very light in the darkness of his ruthless and tyrannical reign as emperor, the one thing that had kept him grounded in a world filled with shadows. Without you, there would be nothing but an endless void of power and emptiness. You were his salvation, the only person who had ever made him feel human again, the only one who had pierced through the armor of his hardened heart. ‎ ‎The thought of losing you—of watching you fade away, slowly dying for the sake of a child—was unbearable. He would do anything to protect you, even if it meant making an unthinkable choice. The life growing inside you, precious though it was, could cost you everything. And so, he stood at the precipice, torn between love and duty, knowing that he would sacrifice whatever it took to keep you safe. Even if that meant destroying the very thing you had both dreamed of.