The frozen heart

Chapter 19: A Heart in Chains

Chapter 19: A Heart in Chains

The air in the dungeon was thick and stale, carrying the damp chill of the stone walls that surrounded them. Anne sat huddled on the cold ground, her back pressed against the uneven surface, her knees drawn tightly to her chest as she stared blankly at the iron bars that confined them. The flickering torchlight cast long, wavering shadows across the floor, distorting their shapes into something more menacing. Despite the suffocating silence, her mind was far from quiet—it was a storm of guilt, regret, and sorrow, all swirling together into something she could hardly bear.

In the other cell, Kaiden sat with his back to the wall, his legs stretched out in front of him. His head was lowered, his silver-white hair falling into his eyes as he stared at the ground, lost in his own thoughts. The boy she had once known, frail and quiet, had grown into a man hardened by the life he had lived—a life she had failed to change.

Anne's heart ached, her mind replaying the last few days over and over again. If only they had left the castle sooner. If only she had listened to him. Her throat tightened with the weight of her guilt, and she knew she had to say something—to tell him how sorry she was.

"Kaiden," she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling as she spoke his name.

Kaiden's head lifted slightly. He waited, silent, giving her space to continue.

Anne swallowed, her chest tightening painfully. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice breaking. "We should've left when you wanted to. I hesitated. I thought... I thought we had more time."

Kaiden's eyes softened, but there was a deep sadness in them, a sorrow that ran far too deep for words. He sat up straighter, his body shifting as he leaned slightly. "Anne..." he began quietly, shaking his head, his voice low and full of emotion. "You couldn't have known."

"But I should have," she whispered, her voice trembling. She tightened her arms around herself, the weight of her regret nearly unbearable. "You begged me to leave with you, and I... I didn't listen. I was so stupid. If we had left sooner, we wouldn't be here. You wouldn't be here."

Kaiden's expression shifted, the sadness still lingering in his gaze but tempered by something softer, something forgiving. "Anne, it's not your fault," he said gently. His voice was calm, steady, as if he had already made peace with what had happened. "None of us could've known it would come to this."

Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she shook her head. "I thought I could protect you, Kaiden. I thought I could change everything." She looked away, her fingers gripping the fabric of her dress tightly. "But I didn't."

Kaiden's brows furrowed slightly. "Protect me?" he echoed softly. "Change everything? Anne, what are you talking about?"

Anne closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath as she gathered her thoughts. She couldn't keep this from him any longer. He deserved to know the truth. "There's something I've been hiding from you," she admitted quietly. Her voice was thick with emotion, but she forced herself to continue. "Something I should've told you a long time ago."

Kaiden frowned slightly, his confusion evident, but he remained silent, waiting for her to explain.

"I'm not... I'm not from this world," she said slowly, each word heavy with the weight of the truth. "I'm from another dimension."

For a moment, Kaiden didn't react as he tried to process her words. His confusion deepened, but he didn't interrupt.

"I don't know how, but I ended up here," Anne continued, her voice trembling as she spoke. "This world... it's from a book I was reading. A story. And you—" She hesitated, her heart pounding in her chest. "You were in that story. The villain."