Emma’s POV

The world outside the flickering firelight ceased to exist. Only Adrian remained – his face shadowed, his eyes burning with an intensity that both thrilled and terrified me. My whispered confession, "I'm ready," hung in the air, a fragile bridge built between past doubts and an unknown future. It was a promise not just of body, but of a soul, laid bare for the man who had effortlessly breached every wall I’d ever constructed.