Sebastian keenly sensed that something was off with Citrine. Her words only confirmed his suspicion, and a knot of anxiety tightened in his stomach.

His lips trembled slightly. "Citrine," he asked cautiously, "is it something I did? Have I not been good enough?"

He rushed to add, "If there's anything I'm doing wrong, just tell me. I... I can change. I'll change anything."

His eyes reddened with panic, and his voice shook.

"No, it's not you. You've been wonderful." Seeing him like this made her heart ache. She lowered her gaze for a moment, gathering her courage before finally speaking. "Sebastian... I'm so sorry. I lied to you."

Sebastian just looked at her, confused.

Citrine continued, "Before we even got together, someone approached me. He told me that the chairman of Stellaris Group is the primary personality... and that you are a second personality, a version of him from his youth."

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her head bowed, unable to look him in the eye. "I know this is impossible to accept, but I couldn't keep hiding it from you anymore."

"What?" Sebastian stared at her, the word barely a breath.

Seeing the look on his face crushed her, and the whole story came tumbling out.

"So... I'm just his secondary personality. I'm not... him." The color drained from Sebastian's face. The pain of being deceived was nothing compared to the wave of terror that washed over him. His first, overwhelming thought was that he would lose Citrine. He didn't even have a real identity of his own.

He was just a fragment of someone else, a ghost who could disappear at any moment.

Sebastian lowered his eyes, and

Citrine couldn't read his expression,

but she could see the immense

effort he was exerting to hold himself together. What was he holding back she

wondered His

hatred for her? He must despise her now.

His lips trembled, but for a long moment, no words came out.

Citrine knew she should have told him from the start. Whatever anger he felt now, she deserved it. She had no idea how to face the man she loved so deeply.

They sat in silence for what felt like an eternity. When it neared ten o'clock, Sebastian offered to take her home, just as he always did. The drive was completely silent.

Usually, he'd find a way to linger, playfully keeping her from going inside right away. But tonight, he said nothing. Citrine watched his figure disappear into the darkness before she finally turned away.

It was destined to be a sleepless night for them both.

Lying in bed, Citrine couldn't close her eyes without seeing the hurt and desolation on Sebastian's face at the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Sebastian sat propped up against his headboard, awake all night. Fear and anxiety consumed him. How could a secondary personality, someone without a real identity, ever hope to be with Citrine?

After a long night of torment, he went to her apartment building early the next morning, just as he always did.

prime

Upstairs, Citrine hadn't slept a wink, yet she felt no trace of fatigue. She was sitting on her balcony with a

glass of red wine, gazing at the

distant city lights when she

granced

down and saw him standing on the

street below.

A surge of joy and surprise shot through her, but it was quickly replaced by dread. Was he here She

early to break up with her? couldn't think of any other reason he would show up unannounced. But even if that was his intention, she had no right to hide from it.

After a moment's hesitation, Citrine finally made her way downstairs.

Sebastian's expression was blank, revealing nothing. When Citrine reached him, she didn't speak first. She simply stood there, waiting for the axe to fall.