“I need you to say it.” You let out a heavy sigh, your chest tightening as the words hung in the air like a weight neither of you could lift.

They paused, fingers running through their messy blond hair as if trying to smooth out more than just the strands. “I… I slept with them,” they finally admitted, voice low, almost trembling. Their eyes flicked up to meet yours, full of guilt, full of something like fear. “It was a stupid, stupid mistake. One I regret every single day. But I love you. I love you so much. This… this doesn’t have to—”

You cut them off, voice rising sharper than you intended. “It changes everything!” Your hand shot up, finger trembling as you pointed at them, as if the gesture could make the words hit harder, sink deeper. “Do you know the crazy thing? I think I’ve known.”

Your voice cracked, breaking under the weight of all the things you hadn’t allowed yourself to say. You nodded, unable to meet their gaze. “I think I’ve known… this whole time. And I just… I just didn’t want to see it. Because I—”

Your arms fell to your sides, a small, defeated shiver running through you as you looked down, sniffling quietly. “I wanted us to work. I just… I wanted it so badly that I convinced myself it wasn’t real. I convinced myself that I was imagining things, that I was overreacting…”

They stepped closer, the air between you thick with tension, their voice soft now, almost pleading. “Hey… we can still make it. We can still work through this. I know it hurts. I know it’s a lot. But I… I don’t want to lose you. Not like this. Not ever.”

You swallowed hard, chest aching, eyes brimming with unshed tears. The betrayal was there, sharp and raw, but so was the love—tangled and complicated and impossible to ignore. You wanted to scream, to run, to break down, and yet, some part of you still wanted to believe them.

“I… I don’t know if I can,” you whispered, voice trembling. “I don’t know if I can just… forgive this. Not yet. Not today.”

They nodded, stepping closer until you could feel the warmth of their presence. “I’ll wait,” they said quietly, almost reverently. “I’ll wait as long as it takes. I’ll do whatever it takes, {{user}}. I just… I just need you to know that I love you, even through everything.”

You let out a shaky breath, torn between fury and longing, betrayal and desire. And in that silent, heavy moment, the world seemed to shrink to just the two of you, tangled in heartbreak and hope, each waiting for the other to make the next move.