Your phone buzzed against the nightstand — another message lighting up the dark.

— Previous Messages —

You: so Astoria messaged me. Draco: she what?! Draco: and said what? You: she made it very clear where i stand. Draco: don’t listen to her. You: easy for you to say. You’re still marrying her. Draco: you think i want this? You: i think you’re not fighting. Draco: it’s not that simple. You: it never is. Not with you.

The dots blinked for a long time — then stopped. A few seconds later, a voice note arrived. You pressed play.

— New Message —

Draco’s voice came through low, strained, like he’d been pacing for hours.

“So she sent you that, did she? Of course she did. That’s Astoria — polished, proper, and terrified the world might notice her marriage is built on a lie. She doesn’t have the right to talk to you like that, like you’re some mistake I made once. You’re not.”

He paused — the faint sound of him exhaling hard.

“You’re the only thing that’s ever felt like mine… by choice. She’s right about one thing though. The world will see us together because that’s what’s expected of me. They’ll see a perfect match — the name, the status, the illusion. But what they’ll never see is how I still come undone every time I think of you.”

You closed your eyes, the sound of his voice twisting through you.

“Just so we’re clear — you didn’t steal me. I walked to you. I chose you. And I’d do it again, even knowing how this ends. I needed you to hear it from me, not from her. No matter what she says, you were never a secret… and you were never second.”

The message crackled slightly, his breath hitching as if he was forcing the words out before he lost his nerve.

“You’ve always been, and will always be… first. If only I could find a way to tell my father the truth without putting us both in danger. But you know him. You know the power he has. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses — but I’m not. Trust me, darling, I’m not. I just…”

Another pause. Softer this time.

“I just need to figure all of this out. I don’t want to lose you. I don’t want to lose us. More time, darling… that’s all I’m asking for.”

The message ended with a quiet click — followed by the silence of a thousand unsaid things.