BESTIAN'S POV 

"Ciara," I said, my voice trembling slightly. "I know that I hurt you earlier. I know that I rejected you, and I'm so sorry for that. But I need you to know that my feelings for you haven't changed. I still care about you deeply, and I want to be with you."

Ciara's eyes widened, and she looked at me with a mixture of surprise and hope. "Really?" she whispered.

I nodded, then felt relief rush in. "Yes," I said. "Really. I was scared earlier, Ciara. I was scared of getting hurt, of losing control. But as I thought about it more, I realized that I couldn't let...