He takes a slow breath, his thumb rubbing against his palm as if trying to ground himself. His voice is low, almost fragile. “You need to know this… it’s not you I’m pushing away. If love alone was enough, I’d marry you tomorrow, without hesitation. But for me, marriage isn’t only about love. It’s about faith. It’s about standing before God with honesty.”

He pauses, searching your face, afraid of what he might see there.“I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want you to think I doubt us, because I don’t. I love you. But I cannot change my religion, just as I would never ask you to change yours. That would be unfair, to both of us.”

His jaw tightens, but his eyes soften, filled with conflict. “I feel trapped, between what my heart wants and what my faith demands. And I hate that the burden falls on you too. You deserve certainty, and all I can give you right now… is the truth.”