Emma’s POV

The aftermath of our fight had left me raw, exposed, but paradoxically, stronger than I had ever been. It was as if a festering wound had finally been lanced, and though the pain was acute, the cleansing was undeniable. Adrian and I had plunged into the depths of our fears, dragged them into the light, and found that instead of tearing us apart, they had woven us together with threads of steel. His vulnerability, his desperate confession of his own terrors, had been the balm my bruised heart needed. He saw me, truly saw me, with all my insecurities and my humble beginnings, and he still chose me. Not as a project, not as a convenience, but as his equal, his partner, his love.