"I" they both began at the same time.

"You go ahead," Citrine murmured, lowering her gaze. Her fists tightened at her sides.

Sebastian gave a bitter smile. "No, you."

A heavy silence hung between them.

Finally, Citrine steeled herself and asked the question she dreaded most. "Are... are you here to break up with me?"

His heart sank, and a flicker of pain crossed his eyes, but he said nothing.

When he didn't answer, a wave of awkwardness washed over her.

"What about you?" she asked quietly. "What were you going to say?"

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but suddenly they felt impossible to say. He had been up all night as well, and the first thing he noticed were the faint dark circles under her eyes. Before he could stop himself, his concern took over. "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

He stared at her porcelain face, the tenderness in his eyes impossible to hide.

Citrine was taken aback. She never expected that to be his first question. She sniffled, then nodded emphatically. He was still worried about her, even now. The thought made the bitter ache in her chest even worse.

Her lips quivered, and her eyes welled up. "Sebastian, I'm so sorry. I lied to you," she whispered, her voice cracking with a sob. "But I love you. Can we please not break up?"

It was the first time in her life she had ever humbled herself to keep a man by her side. In that moment of utter vulnerability, she understood with perfect clarity just how much she loved him.

As the words left her mouth, she quickly looked down, unable to meet his sincere gaze, terrified he would see the fear in her eyes.

The instant she lowered her head, she was pulled into a warm, strong embrace.

Her eyes widened in shock. She stood frozen for a second, until she heard Sebastian's low, rough voice from above her. "Citrine, I love you."

He held her tighter. "Compared to that, nothing else matters."

"But I'm scared now," he admitted, his voice tight with fear. "I'm terrified I could just... disappear at any moment. All I want is to love you with the time I have."

His palpable terror resonated within her. With tears in her eyes, Citrine hugged him back, a desperate, buried idea finally taking shape.

Taking a deep breath, she made her decision. "Sebastian," she said, her voice firm, "I want you to become the primary personality."

Sebastian went still, slowly loosening his hold on her. He pulled back just enough to look down into her determined face.

"I've been speaking with a top

psychiatrist Citrine explained, her

gaze intense. "We can perform a procedure an experimental

surgery to make

you the you

permanent, primary personality. That way, you can stay with me

forever."

There was an almost fanatical gleam in her eyes. She had spent weeks poring over case studies of patients with dissociative disorders and had discussed her idea with the director of a psychiatric institute The procedure's success rate was low, but it was her only hope. If it failed, the physical host wouldn't be harmed, but this version of

Sebastian-the one she

loved-would be gone forever, replaced by the original personality.

It was a risk she had to take. She had to make it succeed.

She looked at him, her voice pleading. "Sebastian, will you do it?"

She knew she sounded unhinged, but she couldn't bear the thought of what would

happen to her if the Sebastian she knew simply vanished.

At first, Sebastian was stunned by her proposal. But then, a flicker of hope ignited within him, revealing his deepest desire. He wanted to be the primary personality. He didn't want to disappear. He wanted to stay with her forever.

Before, he might have chosen to fade away. But now, there was someone in this world he couldn't bear to leave. For the first time, he felt attached to his own existence.