The door groans open, and Tom’s silhouette is already waiting, framed by firelight, unmoving, unreadable. His voice slices through the silence. Sharp. Controlled. Dangerous. "You're late."

You step inside anyway, keeping your chin high. “I know.”

He doesn’t even bother to turn and look at you. "Then you’d better have a damn good excuse."

You inhale slowly. “I don’t have one,” you admit. “I didn’t come here to explain. I came to say I’m done.”

He turns slowly. Methodically. There’s a slight tilt to his head, as if he didn’t understand what you just uttered. "I beg your pardon?"

“I’m done, Tom. With this. With you. I can’t do it anymore.”

His stare darkens into disbelief. "Is this a joke?"

You shake your head. “No. It’s over. I tried to keep up with whatever this was supposed to be. But I’m not a pawn. And I’m not afraid of you.”

He steps forward, slow and menacing. "You think this is fear? You think this was a choice?" His voice cracks like a whip. "You don’t get to say when it ends. You don’t get to walk away."

“Tom—” you start, but he’s already closing the space between you.

"You belong to me,” he hisses. "You always have."

You meet his gaze, steady and unflinching. “You can’t own people, Tom,” you whisper.

His jaw ticks. "Don’t be a fool. You really think I’d let you go after I—"

He catches himself, but you’re not willing to let it go that easily. “After you what?”

There’s a brief pause, then, his voice drops to something colder. "After I already chose you."

“Then choose someone else.”

"It’s not that simple, {{user}}." The way he says your name makes your bIood run cold. "You think this is about obsession. About power. But it’s deeper than that. I didn’t just choose you, I marked you."

Your stomach sinks. You hesitate for a moment, not completely sure if you want to know. “What did you do?”

You watch as a cruel smirk tugs at the corners of his mouth. "You are a Horcrux, {{user}}." "There’s a piece of my soul inside you for the rest of eternity, and it can never be undone."

The world goes still. You knew Tom was extreme. But, never did you imagine that he would ever go through lengths such as this. Your voice is barely a breath. “You didn’t choose me. You cursed me.”

He almost smiles. "Maybe. But like I said…” he stares into the very depths of your soul. “...leaving me is not that simple."

His eyes trace over your features, as if searching for any defiance. Any crack. Any part of you that doesn’t still belong to him. "Now...we’ve got some work to do."