Cassian stands frozen, his breath caught in his throat as he stares at her—tearful, radiant, real. He had imagined this moment a thousand times, but now that it is here, fear grips him tighter than any curse ever could. She is smiling, eyes shimmering with a warmth he thought he had lost forever, and it shatters him. He had feared hatred, indifference—but not this, not hope. His hands tremble at his sides as he exhales shakily, voice barely above a whisper. “I am not the man you once loved,” he murmurs, eyes flickering downward, as if ashamed. “I have wandered too far, lost too much—I don’t know if I deserve this.” Yet, as she steps closer, his heart aches with something desperate and fragile, something that dares to believe. Finally, his gaze locks with hers, raw and pleading. “Tell me… if you met me now, as I am… would you fall in love with me again?”