The storm raged outside, but it was nothing compared to the tempest in Mattheo’s eyes.

"I do not want you here… I do not want you!" His voice was sharp. "I want never to see you. Leave! Get out!"

But you did not move. Your heart pounded, but you stood your ground.

"No," you said firmly. "You cannot force me away. I will not go."

His jaw tightened, and for a moment, he looked at you as though he might break. "I command it! Go!"

But you lifted your chin. "I will stay! I command it!"

Something flickered in his expression—pain, anguish, something deeper than anger. His voice cracked as he whispered, "Please… please go."

Your breath caught. You took a single step forward. "Do you love me?"

He whispered. "I am trying to protect you."

"Do you love me?" you demanded again.

His hands pressed into his temples, his voice barely more than a strangled whisper. "I cannot… we cannot… this conversation is not… I cannot do this."

"Do you love me?" Your voice trembled.

Mattheo exhaled sharply. "I never intended to marry. I never wanted—"

You cut him off. "Is it that you do not believe that I could love you? Because I do. I love you, Mattheo."

His eyes burned with something too vast for words. "I am a madman. I am a danger. Other worlds are creeping into my mind. Heaven and earth are colliding and I do not know where I am."

You swallowed your fear and stepped closer. "Do you love me?"

His gaze locked onto yours, wild and vulnerable.

"I will stand with you between the heavens and the Earth," you vowed. "I will tell you where you are. Do you love me?!"

Silence hung between you. And then, like a dam breaking, his voice escaped—raw, desperate, unstoppable.

"I love you." His hands reached for you, almost afraid to touch you. "From the moment I saw you, I loved you desperately. I cannot breathe without you. I love you." His voice broke, and then, softer, "My heart calls your name."