The Ascendant Shadow

Chapter 19: The Moment We Gave In

Valentina's POV:

I stared at Connor, unable to hide the shock that coursed through me. His eyes flickered with recognition as he caught the shift in my expression. "I've been keeping track of you since you left," he admitted, his voice quiet but steady.

I scoffed, disbelief coating every word. "Keeping track? You've been stalking me, Connor," I snapped, my voice rising with anger that I didn't bother to contain.

Connor's lips tightened into a thin line, frustration building behind his calm exterior. "What do you expect me to do? You won't talk to me. You've been avoiding me for months. Before all this—before everything—we were best friends."

"Exactly," I interrupted, my voice sharp as I cut him off. "Before everything. That's the key word, Connor. Before you stood by and let all this happen."

"What did you want me to do, Valentina?" His voice cracked, revealing the emotion he'd been holding back. "Stand up to him?"

"YES!" I shouted, the frustration and pain finally spilling out. "At least that! You could've done something—anything! But you just stood there, watching, saying nothing. Why? Because you respected him?"

Connor flinched, and for a second, his expression softened into something raw, something vulnerable. "I don't respect him, Valentina," he said, his tone now harsh and filled with self-loathing. "I did, once. At first, because of everything he did for me. He saved me in ways I didn't even realize back then. But once I saw the real him? The things he's capable of? I was scared. He has the power to end people's lives without even blinking. How can I help you when I can't even protect myself?"

I stepped closer, my heart pounding, my voice shaking with anger and hurt. "Then why? Why did you bring me into this mess? The guns, the fighting, all of it—why show me that world if you knew how dangerous it was?"

Connor's eyes softened, the fight draining from him. He ran a hand through his hair, a deep sigh escaping his lips. "Because I was an idiot, Valentina. A complete fucking idiot. I thought I was protecting you, showing you how to survive in our world. But I didn't realize... I didn't realize what I was dragging you into until it was too late. If I could go back, I wouldn't have let you get involved. I'd take it all back."

His words hit me like a punch to the gut, and I felt my heart twist with emotions I wasn't prepared to deal with. The betrayal, the anger, the years of friendship tangled in this mess. "You know I care about you, Connor," I whispered, my voice trembling despite my best efforts to stay calm. "I've known you since I was nine. I can't just erase all of that. You're still my best friend, despite everything."

"I love you too, Vale," Connor said softly, stepping closer, his expression sincere and full of regret. He reached out, and before I could register what was happening, his hand slid into mine, intertwining our fingers gently. His touch was warm, familiar, a reminder of all the years we had shared, the trust that had once been unshakable.

For a moment, everything felt suspended—the anger, the pain, the confusion. It was just me and Connor, standing in the aftermath of everything that had gone wrong, trying to hold on to the one thing we had left.

Before I could fully process the warmth of Connor's hand in mine, I felt a sudden shift in the air, and then a firm hand landed on my shoulder, another on Connor's. The touch was casual, but the intent behind it was far from friendly.

"Ah, so we're doing love confessions now?" Ron's voice broke the moment, a playful, mocking cheerfulness lacing his words, but the coldness in his eyes betrayed his true mood. "Mind if I join in?"

Connor immediately shrugged off Ron's hand, his expression darkening in an instant. "I'm in the middle of a fucking conversation," he said, his voice sharp with frustration.