orning light filtered in through the small window, casting long shadows across the room. His gaze was fixed on the cruc

had crossed a line. But the line between duty and desire had blurred, and no matter how much he tried to distance himself, the pull he felt towar

looked at him, as though he were the last person who still believed in her. And then there were the small, tender moments they shared-the way her voice softened when she spoke of her past, t

went far beyond spiritual guidance. There was a deeper, more complicated emotio

nced at the screen and saw a text message from Cersei. His hea

ht? I need to talk

n, and he had evening Mass to prepare for. But something about her message s

the church around 8.

. The silence that followed felt deafening. It was as thou

ive tonight, the faint scent of incense lingering in the air. He moved through the shadows, his heart pounding in his chest. The church w

ter the sacred space. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed on him, and for a

said, her voice bar

is tone warm but guarde

pew near the front, and they both sat down. The low hum of the church's heating system was the on

out," she began. "And I don't know how to say this, but... I think I'm ready. I want to try-really t

more she spoke, the more he realized how deeply her words affected him. It was

id quietly, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm

ftly. "You've been helping me. But it's more than that now. I don't know what it is, b

had just admitted it to him. But there was a dangerous line he had to keep his distance from. She was vul

to offer counsel. But now, as he sat beside her, he couldn't ignore the truth that had been quiet

r. "But we have to be careful. You can't be saved by one person alone. It's a p

touch was light, tentative, but it sent a shock through him-an elect

anyone else," she murmured.

a moment, he didn't know what to say. This was wrong. She was a parishioner, and he was a priest. But

his voice shaky. "I care

ws. You've promised the Church. But I... I don't know what to do with this feeling. This... connection. I thou

t this was dangerous, that they could never be more than priest and penitent. But t

, his voice tight. "And I will help you do that. But yo

er Hart thought she might break down right there. But she swallowed

d quietly, her voice fa

is own unspoken desires. He knew what he had to do, but he also knew that the path he w