The faint light of dawn crept through the heavy curtains, casting a soft glow on the room. The cold stone walls of his family manor felt particularly stifling this morning. You lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, your mind swirling with thoughts you weren’t ready to confront.

Regulus was still asleep beside you, his breathing slow and steady, chest rising and falling with a peacefulness you hadn’t felt in weeks. You couldn’t bring yourself to move, not yet, not while the weight of his decision hung in the air like an impending storm.

You had been together for years, since you were both just teenagers trying to find some semblance of peace in a world of chaos.

But now, as you stared at him, it was almost like he was a stranger. He had changed so much over the years, growing into someone who was willing to give up everything for a cause he believed in—his obsession with taking down V0Idemort.

Regulus had done something you never saw coming. He had kept you at arm’s length, not because he didn’t love you, but because he did—because he couldn’t bear the thought of you getting in trouble. Or worse—losing you.

He hadn’t married you.

Not because he didn’t want you, but because he was too afraid that his path would destroy everything he held dear.

His refusal had been his way of protecting you. But it wasn’t enough. He still couldn’t promise you a future, a life together, the way you had always imagined.

Your fingers ran lightly over the sheets, tracing the space between you. The quiet sound of his breathing filled the room, and for a moment, you almost let yourself believe that nothing had changed—that the life you had built together still had hope. But deep down, you knew better.

His love for you was real. You didn’t doubt that. But it wasn’t enough. Not when he couldn’t promise you anything. Not when his entire focus was on destroying him, even if it meant losing you in the process.

The truth had settled in the quiet of the room: Regulus had never truly let you be his. Not in the way you had hoped.